Nigerians turn to faith healers as HIV aid dries up amid funding cuts

In Nigeria, desperation is driving some HIV patients away from life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and toward unproven traditional and Islamic remedies. This shift follows significant budget cuts to the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which previously provided free treatment.

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When I went to the facility and was told the drugs were no longer available for free, my heart sank because I couldn’t afford to pay for them out of pocket.

Aisha*, an HIV patient in Maiduguri, recounted how the halt and subsequent budget reduction of PEPFAR funding left her unable to afford her medication. "When I went to the facility and was told the drugs were no longer available for free, my heart sank because I couldn’t afford to pay for them out of pocket," she told SciDev.Net.

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When someone talked to me about a traditional healer whose medicine could cure the virus permanently after just one treatment, I decided to sell my household furniture to buy it.

Facing stock-outs and financial barriers, patients in northern Nigerian cities like Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, and Maiduguri are seeking out alternative health practitioners. These practitioners, operating through community networks and social media, promise permanent cures through herbal concoctions, often at high prices. Aisha explained her decision to sell furniture to buy such a remedy, hoping it would be a one-time sacrifice to save her life and finances.

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I thought it would be a sacrifice that would save my life and my pockets once and for all.

Globally, PEPFAR has been a major force in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment since 2003. In Nigeria alone, it has disbursed over $7.8 billion, supporting more than 1.9 million people. However, the recent funding freezes created an opening for healers like Yusuf Sufi in Kano, who claims his N45,000 ($33) HIV treatments have cured most patients. Similarly, Abdullahi Umar of Kashful Aleel Islamic Medicine Centre claims his remedies have achieved cures across multiple states, a feat he says modern medicine has not yet accomplished.

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