The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured persons living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the state of his administration’s support, noting that relevant agencies set up to attend to their needs have been revamped to ensure effective service delivery.

The governor said this in commemoration of the World AIDS Day, marked globally by the World Health Organisation (WHO), on December 1, every year.

Obaseki, who assured that the state government is embarking on far-reaching reforms in the health sector to provide for the basic needs of Edo people, said that the Edo State Agency for the Control of AIDS (EDOSACA) has been repositioned to meet its mandate to people living with HIV/AIDS in the state.

According to him, a number of reforms are being undertaken to ensure a reduction in the number of people living with HIV/AIDs.

He added that the Edo Health Care Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP), caters to the health care needs of different segment of the state’s population.

“As part of our support for those living with HIV/AIDS, we have reconstituted the board of EDOSACA so that they can live up to their mandate. We are providing support to the agency to play its roles in a number of our health intervention programmes. This will ensure that they are well positioned to provide support to those who live with the ailment.”

On the theme for this year’s commemoration, ‘Know Your Status,’ the governor urged residents in the state to use the opportunity for free testing by EDOSACA to know their status, and stressed that it was pertinent that the disease is detected early so that the damage to the immune system can be managed.

He added, “EDOSACA is currently leading a sensitisation campaign that will help people know their status. This is important because of the need for affected persons to detect the virus early and take advantage of the support from the agency to manage the ailment.”