Little progress made in achieving HIV goals: Dala

By GLENDA AWIKIAK
PAPUA New Guinea has not done anything serious to address HIV, says National Aids Council Secretariat director Nick Dala.
He said PNG was still a long way from achieving its 2030 goal of reducing the number of deaths, new infections and mother-to-child transmission.
Dala was speaking during the launching of a research report carried out by the PNG Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR) on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and adolescent girls and young women living with HIV.
The research was conducted in 2015 in Port Moresby and Goroka in partnership with University of New South Wales (UNSW), Kirby Institute (UNSW), Unicef, Burnett Institute, Centre for Social and Creative Media, Port Moresby General Hospital and Health Department.
The research aimed at finding out the causes and impact of mother-to-child transmission.
It also aimed to come up with solutions to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and retaining women in care and treatment.
“Our 2030 goal aims at reducing the number of HIV deaths to 500, but yet we are seeing more than 1000 deaths annually,” Dala said.
“New infections are aimed at below 1000 but we still have more than 2500 new infections every year.
“We just had 400 new infected children with HIV in 2017 through mother-to-child transmission.”
He said there are efforts taking place from the government as well the development partners but efforts must be placed at the right place where required outcomes would be achieved.
Programme officer for STI/HIV with Health Department Penial Boas said there was a lot of challenge at the national level in coordinating these program.
He said partnership within and abroad had helped the Government do certain things to address HIV.
Boas said there was a need for a better system in place to carry out as well sustain the prevention of parent-to-child transmission .
FHI 360 representative Justine Nankinga said recent statistics showed PNG had not done much in its efforts in addressing HIV.
“PNG needs a proper solution for this long standing problem,” he said.
“It needs a strong advocacy tool through education, parenting and communities on the impacts of HIV on women and children.
“We need to do something to reach the 90.90.90 UN targets to end HIV epidemic as we now have the knowledge and resources.
“This means 90 percent of people infected with HIV to know their status, 90 percent of those who know their status to be on treatment and 90 percent of those on treatment to have achieved viral suppression. “