RismadarVoice Reporters
September 24, 2026
The Anambra State AIDS Control Agency has launched a telehealth service aimed at expanding confidential access to HIV information, counselling, referrals, testing and treatment across the state.
The agency also unveiled a newsletter to document its activities and progress in coordinating Anambra’s response to HIV/AIDS.
Executive Director and Project Manager of the agency, Dr Nkem Okeke, announced the initiatives at an event in Awka, saying the state was increasingly taking HIV services beyond health facilities into communities, workplaces, motor parks and tertiary institutions.
Okeke said more than 2,500 people had been tested for HIV through the agency’s outreach programmes since April 2026.
He explained that the new telehealth platform would provide dedicated telephone lines through which residents could confidentially obtain counselling, reliable HIV information and referrals to appropriate health facilities.
According to him, the initiative is intended to reduce physical barriers to healthcare and provide an avenue for residents to seek guidance on sensitive sexual health matters without fear of stigma.
“The telehealth platform would provide confidential HIV information, counselling and referrals, including guidance on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, testing, treatment and stigma,” Okeke said.
He disclosed that about 176 primary healthcare centres providing free HIV services had been linked to the platform, allowing callers to be assessed and referred to appropriate facilities for treatment and follow-up.
Okeke said community structures, including Ward Action Committees on AIDS and Campus Action Committees on AIDS, had also been established as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots participation in HIV prevention and care.
Speaking on the theme, “Harnessing Digital Innovation to Strengthen the HIV Response, Bridging Communities and Advancing Health in Anambra State,” Okeke said digital technology could help close gaps between residents and life-saving health services.
The state Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, commended the agency for adopting digital technology to improve healthcare access.
Mefor said the telehealth initiative would complement Anambra State’s telemedicine programme by connecting residents to health information and specialist support while encouraging early HIV testing.
Chairman of the occasion, Sir Izuchukwu Nwabueze, said the accompanying newsletter would strengthen documentation, communication and community engagement around HIV interventions in the state.
He said the initiatives would contribute to efforts towards achieving zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero stigma and discrimination by 2030.
Keynote speaker, Prof Ifeoma Njelita, meanwhile, called for digital technology to be deployed as a bridge to healthcare while keeping people at the centre of the HIV response.
Njelita identified access to testing as one of the remaining challenges and called for stronger local ownership of HIV interventions, particularly under the state’s 2026–2028 HIV Strategic Plan.
