In its bid to ensure proper coordination in responding to the needs of HIV/AIDS patients, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) is commencing an Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS) visit to critical stakeholders working on HIV/AIDS in states across Nigeria.
The ISS is supported by a Programme Development Project II (HPDPII), facilitated through a loan from the World Bank to finance HIV/AIDS activities in Nigeria, and coordinated by NACA at the national level and by State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACAs).
Funke Oki, a deputy director at Partnership and Coordination department in NACA, at an orientation meeting in Abuja, said, “ISS is organised to identify what is working in each state of the federation, challenges and issues hindering effective Programme Coordination/implementation and to provide technical assistance on areas of need.
“The exercise is not an audit but rather a deliberate effort to assist states in areas they are not performing optimally in order to give hands-on supportive supervision to improve in such areas.”
The methodology to be adopted for the exercise will see composition of teams comprising of staff from different departments and units in NACA, this, she said was “aimed at covering every aspect of the HIV/AIDS implementation at the state level; from the State Agency for the Control of AIDS, selected health facilities, selected Community Based Organisations (CSO) and Supportive Supervisory Organisations (SSO), which is expected to give an overview of the HIV/AIDS implementation status of HPDP II in states across the country.
“During the ISS visit to states, the teams will hold meetings with the various aforementioned stakeholders to administer already designed tools that will help document their successes, challenges and help them to develop a workable plan to improve on the challenges identified with possible timelines and responsible person to resolve such issue.”
The teams are expected to share the reports of the ISS with the Secretary to the State Government in each state and Head of Service, as this aimed at putting policy makers in the state in the know on the progress and challenges of HPDPII in states across the country.
