By Michael Ovat-Awka
The Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA), has unveiled it telehealth service, airmed at making the Agency’s service available to every Ndi-Anambra both at home and abroad.
The Agency also unveiled it Newsletter, which is expected to document it activities, milestones and progress in coordinating the HIV response across the state.
Speaking at the launch, held at Chyben Leisure Hotel in Awka, on Tuesday, the Executive Director of ANSACA, Dr Nkem Okeke, said Anambra State and Nigeria as a whole had reached a critical stage in its fight against HIV/AIDS and must adopt a new approach (Telehealth) to curbed further spread of the disease, hence the launched.
Okeke noted that the Telehealth Service is expected to introduce dedicated hotlines through which residents can call in for counseling, referrals, and reliable information on HIV.
He noted further that the ANSACA Telehealth Service is geared towards removing physical barriers to healthcare access.
He said the service will ensure confidentiality to enable residents to ask sensitive sexual health questions and seek guidance without the fear of public stigma.
According him, the twin initiatives under his watch highlight a major push towards integrating digital health and transparency into the state’s public health framework.
The Executive Director added that the launch was not just about phone numbers and a publication, but about bridging the gap between information and action, and between communities and life-saving services.
He disclosed that since April, 2026, when he assumed office, the agency has tested over 2,500 persons through community, motor park, workplace and tertiary institution outreaches, and has made Anambra the only state in Nigeria with Ward Action Committee on AIDS (WACA), and CACA for campuses.
In his remark, the State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr Law Mfor, commended ANSACA for the progress made in less than five months since the Executive Director, Dr. Nkem Okeke assumed office, saying the agency is moving in the right direction.
The commisioner, who conveyed goodwill from the Solution Government of Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, described the governor as a leader of rare capacity whose leadership leaves no segment behind, including the vulnerable, adding that the revival of ANSACA and the head-hunting of Dr Okeke underscore the governor’s commitment to those often abandoned.
The event with the theme, “Harnessing Digital Innovation to Strengthen the HIV Response: Bridging Communities and Advancing Health in Anambra State”, was also attended by the Executive Chairman of Idemili North Local Government Area, Hon Stanley Nkwoka, the Traditional ruler of Umueri community, HRH Igwe Ben Emeka (Okebo 11), Ichie Dr Izuchukwu Nwabueze, Anambra Telemedical doctors, representative from ASHIA and the media.
