By Muyideen Aliyu, Ilorin
Kwara Expands HIV Prevention Team, Renews Pledge to Safeguard Mothers and Children
The Kwara State Government has inaugurated an expanded Technical Working Group on the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, reaffirming its commitment to protecting maternal and child health.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Ahmed El-Imam, announced this during the flag-off ceremony in Ilorin, which brought together leading health stakeholders and development partners to intensify collaborative action aimed at eradicating new paediatric HIV infections.
El-Imam described maternal and child health as a programme close to her heart, noting that Nigeria continues to grapple with high maternal and infant mortality rates linked to HIV-related complications.
“One of the factors responsible for childbirth complications for some women is the morbidity associated with HIV,” she explained, while commending the State Primary Health Care Development Agency for its pivotal role as the first point of contact for grassroots healthcare delivery.
She reiterated the government’s determination to reverse these statistics, pointing out that Kwara currently records the lowest infant mortality rate in the country.
Acknowledging the support of partners such as the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), Society for Family Health (SFH), and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), El-Imam affirmed that the state would continue to reinforce coordination and partnerships to improve health outcomes for women and children.
She also drew attention to Kwara’s intensified fight against tuberculosis (TB), commending Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the First Lady, Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, for their unwavering advocacy and passion for TB elimination.
Director of Public Health and Chairman of the Technical Working Group on PMTCT, Dr Oluwatosin Fakayode, restated the state’s resolve to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV. He praised the governor for consistently providing counterpart funding and sustaining support for the health sector.
A representative of the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), Dr Jonathan Madugu, applauded Kwara for leading among the four Global Fund-supported states in integrating family planning with HIV services, particularly within local communities.
The State AIDS Programme Coordinator, Dr Rasheed Muhammed, thanked stakeholders and partners, pledging closer collaboration to ensure zero HIV transmission from mother to child in the state.
