An NGO, African Network for Adolescent and Young Persons Development (ANAYD), has urged Kaduna State Government to integrate friendly healthcare services for adolescents and young people living with HIV in Kaduna.
The Programme Officer of the group, Elizabeth Musa, made this known while on an advocacy visit to Kaduna State Agency for the Control of AIDS (KADSACA) on Thursday in Kaduna.
According to her, the visit is necessary to strengthen healthcare workers’ capacity to provide friendly, non-discriminatory services for young people living with HIV.
She said “consultations revealed that healthcare workers lack Young Key Population (YKP) care programing, while Primary Health Care (PHC’s) facilities lack friendly care centres.”
She added that the NGO would partner government and healthcare professionals in raising awareness to reduce stigma and discrimination through comprehensive training of health workers to understand the YKP care programming.
She said that the advocacy visit is holding in four states of Kaduna, Rivers, Benue and Anambra, supported by Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’ Quest (ISDAO) to eradicate discrimination and enhance integrated services.
Musa, therefore, called for policy changes and legal reforms that would protect the rights of AYPs, while establishing youth-friendly centres to cater for the needs of young people.
Dr Saeed Zakaria, the Director, Stakeholders Coordination, KADSACA, commended the NGO for the visit, saying the agency would collaborate with the group in closing the gaps.
He said “I want to assure you that the Kaduna State Government is committed to improving services in health facilities.”
Zakaria assured that the government would capture the programme in the state’s strategic plan.
