Minister Faults Discovery of New Cure for HIV/AIDS

FEC approves new National Health Policy

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, yesterday in Abuja dismissed the claims that a drug for the treatment and cure of HIV/AIDS has been discovered.
He said the claim made recently by a Nigerian university don, Prof Maduike Ezeibe, had no valid ethical approval by the relevant health authorities.

Addressing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, Adewole said: “Nobody is entitled to conduct any experiment or research on human beings without an ethical approval.

“At the National Health Research Ethics Committee level there is no evidence that this researcher sought and obtained ethical approval.”
The minister also announced the approval by FEC of a new National Health Policy that he said would will re position the health sector.

He explained that the new policy would provide direction necessary to support the achievement of significant progress in terms of improving the performance of the country’s national health system.
According to him, the policy also lays emphasis on primary health care as
the bedrock of national health system in addition to the provision of financial risk protection to all Nigerians particularly the poor and vulnerable population.

He said: ”This administration is reputed for being pro-poor and we are quiet committed to alleviating the problem of the poor Nigerians, the vulnerable the unemployed and the disadvantaged,” he stressed.

“The new policy is the third in the history of Nigeria. The first was in 1988, the second in 2004 all geared towards promoting the health of Nigerians and accelerate socio-economic development.”