Yemisi Dada
Religious leaders have a role to play in ensuring the prevention of Mother to child transmission of HIV by using their pulpits to educate and sensitize congregation that HIV is not a death sentence.
This was the consensus of different stakeholders at the unveiling of Dissemination of the Toolkit for the implementation of Baby showers in Congregation setting for the prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV document, organised by an NGO the Center for Integrated Health Program, CIHP, held in Ikeja.
Representative of the federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare as well as Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Hafsat Iyanda, said the document would serve as a step by step guide for religious leaders and health workers in conducting baby showers while advising pregnant women to get tested and take necessary medications to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies when born.
“Together we can prevent mother to child Transmission and ensure that every mother and child receive care they deserve. As we launch and disseminate this toolkit let us continue to work hard leveraging our collective expertise and resources to make a lasting impact on maternal and child health”
On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control, Dr Folakemi Animashaun, emphasised that engaging faith based organizations is key to improving access to maternal and child health care services, with a promise that the state government would continue to make drugs and treatment of HIV/AIDS free at all state owned hospitals.
” I am confident that this strategic approach would improve invaluable in our ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS and achieving our global targets of eliminating the HIV infection by 2030. The potential impact of this initiative is significant and it fills us with hope for a future free from a trend of HIV/AIDS, therefore Lagos AIDS Control Agency support its implementation and is committed to ensuring its resounding success”
In their goodwill messages, a Muslim cleric, Sheik Alfanla Muhammad representing Jama’atu Islamiaya of Nigeria and a Christian cleric Reverend Stephen Otunola who spoke on behalf of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, thanked CIHP for the initiative and pledged to continue to preach against stigmatization against person living with HIV/AIDS to enable them access qualitative health service to reduce maternal and child mortality.
Earlier, in an address of welcome, the representative of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Timothy Efuntoye, harped on the need for collaboration between all stakeholders to achieve the success of the Baby Shower Toolkits implementation at the grassroots.
The CEO CIHP, Dr Bola Oyeledun, hinted that the document research was done in Enugu, with first implementation in Benue state, now Lagos and will be taken to other states of the federation.
Dr Oyeledun called on the menfolks to join in the fight to curb mother to child HIV transmission by submitting themselves to test and use of medications where necessary to safeguard the lives of their unborn babies.
Some of the beneficiaries commended the Center for Integrated Health Services and all its implementing partners for the initiative which they noted have improved their health status and that of their infant babies as well as boost their confidence in the society.
The Baby Shower Toolkits document was unveiled amidst pomp and pageantry.
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