From Tom Garba, Yola
The Adamawa State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (ADSACA) has engaged 20 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to deliver HIVAIDS prevention services among the populations most at risk in local governments in the state.
Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Stephen John, made this known on Tuesday in Yola in a statement to mark this year’s World AIDS Day.
John said the groups most at risk included commercial sex workers, long distance drivers, in-school and out-of-school youths, pregnant women and uniform service men.
John said the agency was also able to implement HIV/AIDS prevention activities by four line ministries with funds from the World Bank.
John said the agency was also funding local action committees on HIV/AIDS in the 21 local governments
The secretary said that the agency has upgraded 60 health facilities and also train 130 health workers.
On challenges facing the agency, John said apart from non-payment of counterpart funding since 2010, the agency has no functional vehicles for routine operation while a significant number of agency staff have been working for over 10 years on temporary basis and needed to be absorbed in to the mainstream civil service.
Also speaking at the occasion, the World Bank Project Manager on HIVAIDS, Dr Mohammed Chubado, raised concern over non-funding of the agency, which he said was posing a threat to effective the fight against the scourge.
Chubado lauded World Bank, FHI36 and ANNI for their active support in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the state.
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