The Jigawa State House of Assembly has raised the alarm over alleged fake HIV test conducted in some private health facilities before marriage.
Member representing Miga constituency in Jigawa the state house of assembly, Haruna Ado Dangyatum, raised the concern at a function held in the state on Friday.
The lawmaker stated this while responding over outcome of 2018 SMART survey which placed the Jigawa state as top state where the prevalence of HIV is low, with only 0.30% in the country.
Dangyatum said the success was recorded over the Jigawa state lawmakers efforts for the passage of HIV bill, which mandated free HIV test for couple before any marriage is formalized across the state.
The lawmaker explained that some couples in the state were forging the HIV test results as one of prerequisites before marriage and forwarded it to relevant authorities.
“Some couples who are HIV positive are now forging the result and forward it to Chief Imams,” he noted.
Dangyatum said more need to be done to protect the law and innocent citizens if the state.
“The issue needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency to protect the law and HIV prevalence in the state,” he emphasized.
The lawmakers warned authorities concerned to only accept results that are directly from government-owned hospitals.
DAILY POST reports that Jigawa State House of Assembly ha passed a bill, which makes it mandatory for all intending couples to undergo test for HIV/AIDS, twice, in the last three months, before marriage is contracted.
The bill intended to provide free and compulsory HIV/AID test before marriage, as well prohibit all forms of discrimination and stigmatisation against people living with the virus.
The bill became imperative following the widespread of the killer disease among couples in the state.
Jigawa state executive secretary primary Health Development Agency Dr Kabiru said the new law helped the state to recorded tremendous success in reducing the HIV prevalence from 1.90% in 2014 to 0.30% in 2018.
Dr Kabiru said the state is making a significant progress in the areas of Infant mortality rate, under five mortality, malnutrition, immunization, vitamin A. coverage and maternal mortality rates, stressed that more need to be done to address the menace.
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