Korede Abdullah 
CROSS RIVER, Nigeria – Civil society groups monitoring HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes have raised concerns over shortages of HIV test kits at some primary healthcare centres in Cross River State, warning that gaps in testing could leave infections undiagnosed and undermine prevention efforts.
The concern was raised on Wednesday during an advocacy visit by members of the AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM) Network to the Director-General of the Cross River State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA), Dr Charles Iwara.
State Coordinator of Civil Society in Malaria Control, Effiong Udobong, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) and a member of the ATM Network’s State Advocacy Team, said shortages at some facilities were limiting access to HIV testing and other essential services.
“Where kits are not available, especially and at-risk populations are not serologically screened, the undiagnosed cases keep spreading the infection that increases the state status underground,” Udobong said.
State Programme Officer of the ATM Network, Victor Ogwuche, identified Bebiaka in Obudu, Ibonda in Odukpani and some healthcare facilities in Ikom Local Government Area among the locations affected.
“It is very worrisome when pregnant women and other at-risk populations in these areas lack access to testing and counselling services,” Ogwuche said.
He urged development partners to expand their service delivery points, while calling on SACA to strengthen coordination, oversight and data validation to prevent double reporting and inaccurate representation of the state in national HIV surveillance data.
Responding to the concerns, Iwara commended the ATM Network for identifying healthcare gaps, particularly in remote communities.
He said SACA was prepared to collaborate with stakeholders to strengthen the state’s HIV/AIDS response and made available 300 HIV test kits for three affected PHCs in Odukpani, Ikom and Obudu LGAs.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
