Rivers
‘PMTCT Ownership, Key to Ensuring General Access’ … Need for Reliable Documentation
The Programme Manager, Rivers State Agency for the Control of AIDS (RIVSACA), Dr Naaziga Francis, has stated that ownership of the PMTCT processes is a major means of checking the spread of HIV in the society.
Dr Francis, who spoke recently, shortly after a PMTCT Focal Persons meeting organised by the state AIDs and STIs control programme (SASCP), stated that ownership of the PMTCT process by all stakeholders will ensure, for instance, that follow-ups are made to all, or most, HIV positive pregnant women and their children.
Ownership of the process, he explained, means that all processes put in place “to make it easier for both identified HIV pregnant women and their children access necessary health care should be closely followed to ensure that they succeed”.
Such processes, he said, include knowing the number of positive women and children.
“If you know the number of (HIV positive) women and children, you have to follow them up since you know them by name and in person.
“If you do a proper follow-up, you can also project their date of delivery, and subsequently call them to find out if they actually come to deliver in he facility, or go somewhere else. You can then know what to do either case”, he said.
He further stated that another process is proper documentation of the data of HIV positive women and their children.
Noting that lack of proper and reliable documentation of HIV positive women and their children is a major challenge, which, he said, can only be overcomed if it is diligently done from the point of diagnosis, and followed up accordingly from stage of stage..
On his part, the Coordinator of ARV Services at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Dr Alali Dan-Jumbo, said beyond documentation being done at various stages, there is also the need to motivate the PMTCT Focal persons at various levels.
“It is a well known fact that anything not documented, even if you have done it, will look as if it has not been done.
“We need to motivate the focal persons at various levels: whether it is in PMTCT, or Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E). The main challenge, I think, is at the point of reporting what you’re doing.
“This is because, most times, some persons will see writing these reports as extra work, and may not do it diligently. When his happens, it affects reliable documentation”, he. said
In her presentation on the PMTCT situation in Rivers State, the PMTCT Focal person, SASCP, Mrs Agnes Dum-Igoni, stated that PMTCT has recorded poor performance due to low Antenatal Care (ANC) service uptake, and sub-optimal ART coverage among identified positive pregnant women.
Others, according to her, are low rates of facility deliveries, low uptake of early infant diagnosis services and low reporting of services rendered especially from some health facilities providing PMTCT and unskilled providers.
She, however, noted that if all hands are on deck, most of these issues identified will a thing of the past.
By: Sogbeba Dokubo
The Rivers state Chief Judge, Justice SIMONE CHIBUZOR-AMADI has given an indication to sanction any lawyer who fail to comply with directive of a judge in the state to transferred a case to Rivers State Multi Door Courthouse for Alternatives Dispute Resolution.
Justice AMADI stated this during a brief ceremony held at the chief judge auditorium in port Harcourt Friday held to hand over certificates of operation to two private ADR chambers on Precarious Dispute Resolution Services and Harmony Arbitration and mediation center .
He urged the two private ADR centres to be diligent in the discharge of their duties and warned against compromising the standard of Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR but should observed the regulations set out in collaboration regulation by the state Multi Door Court House.
Earlier in a address, the Director of the State Multi Door Courthouse, VICTOR NWEKE esq, highlighted some of the achievements of the Multi Door Courthouse especially in decongestion of court rooms.
NWEKE while disclosing how the department certified the two private ADR centres called for serious punitive measures be taken against any lawyer who fail to comply with a case referred to Multi Door Court House by a judge or magistrates in the state.
In her acceptance speech on behalf of the two certified private ADR centres, ALICE NIMI commended the State Judiciary and Multi Door Courthouse for the approval and assured that all the rules and regulations spelt out will be followed.
In a related development; the Rivers State Judiciary has assured its readiness to collaborate with Nigerian Securityding Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in using Alternative Dispute Resolution to resolve some of the issues in their office.
The state Chief Judge , Justice SIMONE CHIBUZOR-AMADI made the promise when he received in audience the Zonal Commander of NSCDC, Assistant Commandant General, AYINLA TALYE OLOWO and his team who paid him a courtesy visit in his office , Friday where issuees ADR utilization took centre stage.
He used the opportunity to brief his visitors on the hurdles judges faces daily in the court room and the need for the decongestion of the court room , stressing that one judge handle more than three hundred cases but that if lawyers and litigants adopt ADR practice court rooms can be releive of the daily congestions.
The state Chief Judge however urged NSCDC to ensure a wider sensitization of the members of the public on the practice of ADR for a better awareness and knowledge.
Earlier in his speech, the Zonal Commander of NSCDC, Assistant Commandant General, AYINLA TALYE-OLOWO said the visit was to seek collaboration on the use of ADR in resolving some issues which he insisted would help decongest the courtrooms.
Our correspondent reports officials of the Rivers State Multi Door Courthouse led by the Director, VICTOR NWEKE led the team of NSCDC on a technical session where information on how to the fully in cooperated into the Multi Door Courthouse and operation of ADR will be emphasized.
Akujobi Amadi