Succour may have come the way of People Living With HIV (PLWH) who have been grappling with the pains of accessing credit facilities to establish means of livelihood as GS Microfinance Bank, Lagos, said it is willing to fund business proposals of those of them who present such without hassles.

The Bank's Head of Business Management, Kehinde Joda, who made this known at the July media roundtable of Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) held in Lagos also took time to explain how interested people living with HIV who need funds to push their business ideas and enterprises could, accessing credits from microfinance banks.

He also disclosed that support group organisations for PLWH that wish to access credits to fund businesses that would impact lives of the PLWHs would also be given similar privilege.

Speaking at the roundtable on the theme: 'Coping with ARVs: The Place of Adherence, Nutrition and Positive Living in Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Care,' he said,

"As a microfinance bank operating an open-door policy, we don't give out loans on the basis of gender, age or health status."

He added that the bank does not discriminate against PLWH in giving loans.

"You only need to have operated an account with us for between two and three months with a minimum balance of just N500 to qualify for a loan of N250, 000 which we don't require any collateral for. All we require is a pledge and trust receipt," he said.

Joda, however, noted that the bank is more disposed to working with organisations like support groups of PLWHs.

"Experience has shown that small loans to individuals and large loans given to groups don't always go bad," he said.

Chemical Pathologist/Nutritionist and Sub-Dean, Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Shagamu, Omobola Ogundahunsi, who made a presentation on 'How good nutrition and adherence helps in HIV/AIDS Care,' disclosed that HIV infection leads to nutritional challenges, which causes, in most cases, weight loss.

According to Ogundahunsi, weight loss occurs as a result of reduced quantity and quality of food intake due to the inability of PLWHs to earn some income. This, she said, is because the condition reduces their ability to engage in such activities.

Other factors, which she said might lead to weight loss include, inability to eat or swallow because of painful sores in the throat, loss of appetite as a result of fatigue and depression and side effects of medications causing nausea or diarrhea among others and especially limited financial resources.

"On a daily basis, the experiences we get on the field and the level of poverty in our society convinces one, more than ever before, that we need to focus more attention on giving nutritional care and support to people who are living with HIV to complement the free ARVs being given to them," she said.