Notes from the Field: FGH-Nigeria

FGH formally commenced operations in Nigeria in early 2009. In addition to care and treatment of HIV-infected persons, services provided by FGH include HIV counseling and testing (HCT), prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), home-based care and support (HBC), and adherence counseling and services for patients co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis.

FGH currently has 3 comprehensive sites located in General Hospital, Gawun Babangida; General Hospital, Lafiagi; and Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin. FGH also has 3 satellite sites based in Kuta, Kaffin Koro, and Okelele. FGH head office is located in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital. FGH in-country operations are carried out by 16 FGH staff based in Abuja and Ilorin and headed by FGH Chief of Party, Mr. Robb Reed. Dr. Muktar Aliyu, who recently joined VU as faculty in the Institute for Global Health, serves as FGH Country Director and provides administrative and operational oversight for the project, with the assistance of Nashville-based IGH staff.

FGH conducted extensive renovations in all clinical sites during the year, including repairing water supply systems, installing power generating sets, equipping clinic laboratories and furnishing HIV clinics to international standards. FGH also contributed to local human capacity-building by training 196 Nigerian physicians, nurses, counselors and allied health staff in HIV counseling and testing, basic care and support, adult/pediatric care and treatment, adherence, prevention of mother to child transmission, home-based care and laboratory management. Provision of quality HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services is at the forefront of FGH’s work in Nigeria. As of July 31, 2009, FGH staff had counseled and tested 942 clients in our HCT centers and 1,137 pregnant women in our PMTCT program. During the same time period, 132 HIV-positive patients were enrolled into care across the 6 FGH clinical sites.

FGH Country Director Dr. Aliyu and in-country staff held an official launching of FGH-N services in Gawun Babangida on August 3, 2009. The event was well-attended by government officials and local community leaders. FGH services were officially declared open by the wife of the Niger state governor, Hajiya Jummai Babangida. There are plans to perform a similar launching ceremony in Ilorin, Kwara state in the coming weeks.

Immediate future plans include consolidating on progress achieved by opening up a new comprehensive center at IBB hospital Minna, Niger state,  and an additional satellite clinic in Pategi, Kwara state. FGH also intends to set up HCT services for HIV-TB coinfected persons in 3 other TB outpatient clinics. Finally, FGH plans to establish family-centered, facility- and community-based services targeting orphans and vulnerable children by the end of 2009 through partnerships with local community-based organizations. This partnership will further facilitate HIV-related institutional capacity building, a major priority of FGH’s work in Nigeria.