Medical professionals in Anambra State have commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for ‘reactivating’ the Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) with the appointment of a new Executive Director.
For about four years, the very important health agency operated without an ED; a development which many people argued affected its effectiveness and operating potentials.
This, perhaps, explains why health professionals and other stakeholders in the state commended the governor, describing the reactivation of the agency as a welcome development.
Soludo recently approved the appointment of Dr. Hillary Nkem Okeke as the agency’s new Executive Director; bringing that long wait to an end and activating a fresh, energised, and hopeful future for the agency.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Christian Aburime, in a statement announcing the appointment on April 23, described Okeke as an award-winning, multi-skilled medical expert and lecturer who combines cognate clinical experience with outstanding research capabilities.
“With research interests in epidemiology, global health management, community and social care management and more, Dr. Okeke has presented quality papers at conferences and seminars”, the CPS added.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Medical Director of Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopaedic Centre, Awka, Dr. Amaechi Nwachukwu, described the agency as important and “very paramount in the control of AIDS” in the state.
“The creation of awareness alone can lead to reduction in HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state”, Nwachukwu added.
A lab scientist at Glanson Medical Laboratories, Arizechukwu Nwobu, called on all stakeholders to support the AIDS Control Agency to enable it to realise its targets.
“The revitalisation of that agency is very, very important in the sense that HIV is still prevalent in this country. Although there seems to be a little drop, it is still very much prevalent”, he pointed out.
