Chukwumuanya Igboekwu

Medical Activist Fighting HIV/AIDS - standing up for human rights

As a doctor working in Nigeria's remote Niger province, Chukwumuanya Igboekwu confronted the reality of AIDS in rural Africa: In 2003 an estimated 99.5% of the estimated 22,000 people with HIV/AIDS could not afford anti-retroviral medications. He began a local campaign to secure a significant increase in health funds in the provincial budget. The four-hour drive from Igboekwu's home in rural Sahon-rami to the state capital became a regular one. After many visits, he met with the Deputy Governor, the Commissioner of Health, key parliamentarians and other officials. Igboekwu and his coalition made a strong case for the government to take responsibility for providing clinical care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

In 2005, the government announced it would provide life-saving antiretroviral drugs to 1,000 people. The grave situation in 2003 has been reversed as majority of PLWHAs in Niger province now have access to antiretroviral medicines.

Standing up for the principles of the Universal Declaration
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that everyone has the right to "a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including medical care and necessary social services" and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, or old age.

Learn more:
>>Bio: Chukwumuanya Igbokwe
>>Young Corps for Social Responsibility

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