Kogi Stakeholders Alarmed by HIV Prevention Commodity Shortage

Stakeholders in Kogi State have expressed serious concerns regarding a shortage of HIV prevention commodities, particularly condoms and lubricants, which they warn could reverse gains made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This alarm was raised during a multi-stakeholder advocacy visit led by the Kogi State Agency for Control of AIDS (KOSACA) on Tuesday.

Dr. Mondai Adejoh, the Executive Secretary of KOSACA, acknowledged the issue, citing delays in distribution due to past incidents of diversion of supplies to private pharmacies. The stakeholders emphasized the need for a transparent system to monitor the distribution of these commodities.

Mr. Sani Abubakar, Chairman of the Kogi State chapter of ACORMI, recommended adopting a commodity tracking model similar to that used for malaria drugs. The meeting also addressed the lack of financial capacity to procure additional HIV test kits, as KOSACA has not received a functional budget allocation for five years.

Stakeholders agreed on several measures, including training local government HIV/AIDS offices to manage proper commodity distribution.