Advocacy visit to the Hospital Management Board in Lafia
In February 2025 we met the Hospital Management Board in Lafia about the stigma and discrimination key populations and people living with HIV face in health facilities.
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In February 2025, Olive Rights to Health Initiative (ORHI) paid an advocacy visit to the Hospital Management Board in Lafia, Nasarawa State, with Lawyers Alert and other community-based organisations (CBOs). The visit was supported by the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF).
We met the Chief Medical Director, Dr Edego Egba, and other stakeholders to discuss stigma, discrimination and other barriers to healthcare faced by key populations and people living with HIV.
Key points from the discussion:
- Dr Egba acknowledged the progress made in reducing HIV-related stigma, but said key populations still face severe barriers in health facilities.
- He committed to strengthening policies so that health workers uphold the Patient Bill of Rights and treat every patient with dignity and respect.
- The meeting stressed the need for continuous training and retraining of healthcare providers on how they work with key populations.
- Dr Egba said his office is open at all times to receive and address reports of rights violations or discrimination in healthcare settings.
The Hospital Management Board expressed a strong willingness to work with ORHI and our partners towards an inclusive health system, where key populations can use services without fear or bias. The visit sets the stage for further engagement, capacity building and policy improvements.
