World AIDS Day 2018: How some Nigerian churches dey use force see couples HIV test result
Wen Stella Medebem marry her husband for one church six years ago, di church make am compulsory say both of dem must to do some test.
Di list of test wey dem ask dem to do include HIV/AIDS, Genotype, Hepatitis, pregnancy and odas. Most new couples like dem wey wan do marriage for Nigeria, some churches dey mandate dem to go do plenti test before dem go approve di marriage. "Our church say na law say we go do di test. Afta di test, di lab send di result back to di church inside sealed envelope. We no know wetin be di result until church come tell us," she tok. One church for Nigeria bin announce say dem go begin do 'Genital test' for pipo wey wan marry Some of di churches dey carri dia members go lab wia dem go do di test and di church go collect di result first before dem go tell di couple wetin dey inside am. And na dia di wahala dey, according to Dr Ify Onwuatelo wey be sabi pesin wey dey work wit pipo wey get HIV. "HIV test no be wetin dem suppose force pipo to do, na wetin you go carri your mind do," she tok. She say wen anybodi do HIV test, dem get di right to know di result and tell anybodi dem wan tell. "Wen church send pipo go lab to do test, di couple get di right to know di result of di test from di pesin wey do di counselling and testing for dem. Na so e suppose be. "To give am to church to break di result to dem, dat wan no make sense," she tok. Deaconess Chinyere Oforji wey dey serve as marriage committee member for one church, say if couple no gree to run di test and make church collect di result, say dem no go wed dem. "We neva get case wia di couple say no to di test but if dem say no, na im be say we go cancel di marriage," she tok. One pastor, Chinwe Alisi say im church no dey collect anybodi result by force, say dem dey get intending couple consent before dem go do di test. "Even if we find out say one partner get HIV/AIDS, we go first tell am. If im gree, we go now tell di oda partner, but if im no gree, we no go tell di couple but dat one fit make us pause di marriage," im tok. Dr. Udo Stella wey be Acting Director of Planning for Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) say e no good for lab to give church pipo test result of dia members unto say e dey against doctor-patient confidentiality. She say: "Wat if di pesin result show say e dey HIV positive? Na im be say all di elders for church go sabi im status and fit dey stigmatize am". Dr. Udo say if lab must give church any pesin result, dem must first get consent of di pesin so dat dem no go go against di pesin human right". She say di Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria no got fit do anytin, if di members and church don already agree. "If we find out say any lab do wuruwuru for result mata, we dey give dem punishment. But if na di couple give church consent to do di test, den no case dey dia," na so she tok. But sabi pesin Dr Onwuatelo say anybodi wey dey run test for lab wey don do di standard HIV training, go sabi say wen pesin come do test, na dat pesin you suppose carri di result give am, and abybodi e wan tell na im bizness. 1st December everi year na world AIDS day. Na day to create awareness about HIV/AIDS as World Health Organisation tok. For most African kontris, pipo wey get di virus dey find am hard to get di melecine dem need. Nigeria get di highest HIV rate for West and Central Africa wit around 30 or 3.5 million pipo wey get di infection according to United Nations.