By Adejola Adeyemi Crown
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that more than 30,000 residents living with HIV are currently receiving free antiretroviral therapy, counselling, and support services in health facilities across the state.
The governor made this known on Thursday during the commissioning of the Pharma-Grade Warehouse of the Ogun State Drugs and Health Commodities Management Agency in Abeokuta.
Abiodun said his administration had continued to strengthen HIV prevention programmes, expand testing services and implement measures aimed at reducing new infections across the state.
According to him, access to quality healthcare remains a priority of his administration, as efforts are being intensified to improve health outcomes for residents.
“Today, more than 30,000 residents of Ogun State living with HIV are receiving free antiretroviral therapy, counselling, and support services. We continue to strengthen prevention programmes, expand testing services, and reduce new infections,” he said.
The governor commended the Global Fund for its role in expanding access to HIV treatment in Nigeria and supporting interventions against tuberculosis and malaria through the provision of life-saving medicines and health commodities.
He noted that the Fund’s grants had particularly benefited women, children, adolescents, vulnerable groups and underserved communities.
Speaking on the newly commissioned warehouse, Abiodun described the facility as a strategic investment that would significantly improve the storage, management and distribution of essential medicines and health commodities across the state.
He said the facility would strengthen supply chain efficiency, reduce stock-outs and ensure that medicines, test kits and other health commodities reach healthcare facilities and patients across the state’s 20 local government areas promptly.
The governor acknowledged that HIV, tuberculosis and malaria remain major public health challenges but expressed confidence that sustained interventions by the state government and development partners were yielding positive results.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Abiodun said efforts to combat tuberculosis had also been intensified through community outreach programmes, contact tracing and hotspot mapping.
“Access to diagnostic services, including screening, X-rays and laboratory testing, has been expanded, while treatment remains free and accessible. Our message is clear: tuberculosis is preventable, detectable and curable,” he added.
Abiodun also lauded the Federal Government for its efforts at strengthening the nation’s health sector and expanding access to quality healthcare, assuring that Ogun State would continue to align with national health objectives.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said the warehouse was established to improve the delivery of quality healthcare services across the state.
She commended the governor for investing in a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography machine for testing the quality of drugs supplied to health facilities and disclosed that the government planned to deploy technology capable of detecting low stock levels in medical facilities.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Global Fund, Peter Sands, described the facility as a critical investment aimed at ensuring the timely availability of medicines, vaccines and diagnostic commodities.
Sands revealed that of the 22 warehouses built across the country, Ogun State’s facility is the largest and best-equipped.
He commended the state’s leadership in the health sector and pledged the Global Fund’s continued support towards improving health outcomes and building a more resilient healthcare system.
He added that the warehouse, jointly funded by the Global Fund and the Ogun State Government, symbolised the administration’s commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of the people and expressed readiness to sustain the partnership.
