ACOMIN, GLOBAL FUND CALL FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION TO CLOSE GAPS IN HIV, TB, MALARIA CARE IN OSUN
…Community-Led Monitoring Project Identifies Weak Referrals, Drug Stock-outs, Transport Costs as Key Barriers…
By Abisola Ariwodola,
Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition, ACOMIN, has urged government, development partners, and communities to take urgent collective action to strengthen the AIDS/HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, ATM, continuum of care in Osun State.
The call was made during a media meeting in Osogbo on the Global Fund Community-Led Monitoring, CLM, project currently being implemented by ACOMIN in the state. The project focuses on “Strengthening AIDS/HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria Continuum of Care in Communities: A Call for Collective Action and Accountability”.
In his address, the ACOMIN State Chairman, Ambassador Stephen Aremu Akinyele noted that Nigeria has made significant progress against ATM through government efforts and Global Fund support in commodities, health worker deployment, and health system strengthening.
He opined that ACOMIN with Global Fund support is implementing integrated CLM in Osun to ensure availability, accessibility, acceptability, affordability, and quality of care.
He maintained that the approach empowers communities to identify barriers, generate evidence, engage decision-makers, and advocate for solutions, adding that ACOMIN said CLM has boosted domestic resource mobilization with community contributions in finance, materials, renovation of facilities, borehole construction, hospital beds, gloves, BP monitors, malaria drugs, test kits, plus human resources like security personnel and volunteers.
He stressed that CLM evidence shows many communities still face barriers limiting access to prevention, testing, treatment, referral, and follow-up services. With dwindling donor funding, the need to strengthen ATM services has become more critical as populations affected by one disease are often vulnerable to others.
In Osun state, major challenges were highlighted as weak referral systems, where Patients diagnosed with TB/HIV are not always effectively linked to treatment centres, causing delays. Added that PHCs that cannot manage severe malaria also lack links to secondary care for referrals.
The state ACOMIN stressed that rising transportation costs make patients miss clinic appointments. Drug stock-outs and disruptions in directly observed treatment contribute to treatment default and drug-resistant TB, and many HIV and malaria patients are lost to follow-up.
Emphasis was made on PHC workers multitasking with screening, testing, counseling, dispensing, and recording, leading to long waiting times and reduced quality, while rural facilities lack personnel to manage complex HIV cases, among others.
Hinging that the intervention has also strengthened referral pathways and increased responsiveness from health facilities and authorities, Osun ACOMIN amplified community voices for policymakers, traditional leaders, and CSOs to collaborate in the health services delivery to the people.
Osun state ACOMIN called on Federal, State, and Local Governments, development partners, private sector, philanthropists, community stakeholders, media, and healthcare actors to: strengthen referral systems, ensure uninterrupted access to essential medications and diagnostics, invest in healthcare workforce development, expand community-based screening, and reduce financial barriers to care.
Buttressing the call, the State Programme Officer, SPO David Amoto pointed out that these actions are critical to closing gaps in the continuum of care for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria and achieving improved health outcomes for all Nigerians.”
He added that combating HIV, TB, and Malaria requires strong, accessible health systems that place communities at the centre. Through partnership, accountability, domestic resource mobilization, and sustained community engagement in Osun state.
The ACOMIN media meeting was well attended by State Excos, Partners, Community Based Organisations, CBOs and pressmen.
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