Panafrican News Agency - December 10, 2001
One Health Ministry official in Abuja, who asked not to be identified, said the programme did not start as scheduled due to the absence of key staffers, most of whom were said to be attending the international AIDS conference in Burkina Faso.
He hinted that the launch of the programme could be performed next week.
Nigeria has taken delivery of the first batch of the AIDS drugs, ordered from an Indian Company earlier in the year at a cost of 400 million naira (about four million US dollars).
The Health Ministry said last week it would commence treatment in 18 tertiary institutions across the country today.
"A limited number of patients will be enrolled for the treatment in the first three months in order to allow the implementors acquire enough skills in handling the drugs," Minister of State for Health, Amina Ndalolo, said in Abuja.
"Thereafter, the scheme will be scaled up gradually to 100 Centres and to cover a total of 10,000 adults in the first one year," she said.
More than three million Nigerians are infected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to the latest HIV/Syphilis Sentinel Survey conducted in the 36 States of the federation, of some 120 million people.
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