03/12/2025
How St. Mercies Healing Hands Hospital Is Transforming HIV Response in Rural Ogoniland
As Nigeria marks the 2025 World AIDS Day with the theme “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the HIV Response”, the Medical Director of St. Mercies Healing Hands Hospital, Dr. Baribefii Paagolah Nwizia, is raising crucial awareness about the realities of HIV in rural Rivers State, particularly in Bori and the wider Ogoni communities.
In an exclusive interview, Dr. Nwizia revealed that HIV remains a daily medical challenge in Rivers, with new cases recorded almost every day. According to him, the prevalence of the virus in the rural communities demands consistent awareness, community education and continuous access to treatment.
“HIV is not rare here. In fact, you can hardly go a day at the hospital without seeing someone who is infected,” Dr. Nwizia said. “We must amplify awareness, sensitize our people and use every available means to encourage treatment.”
He explained that recent advances in HIV treatment have brought significant relief to patients. Newer antiretroviral drugs come with fewer side effects compared to older medications that caused nightmares and severe reactions, leading many patients to abandon therapy. “The new drugs are easier to tolerate. Patients take them like normal medication and no longer suffer the terrible side effects we used to see. They are also more available across health facilities, and importantly, they are free,” he noted.
Despite these improvements, Dr. Nwizia warned that dangerous misconceptions and superstitions continue to undermine treatment in rural Ogoniland. Many patients still interpret HIV as a death sentence or attribute symptoms to witchcraft or spiritual attacks. He revealed that some even abandon their medication after being misled by self-acclaimed prophets. “We have seen patients told to stop taking their drugs because the problem is spiritual.
