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Officials of the Ghana AIDS Commission are optimistic that the establishment of the Ghana AIDS Fund will address the resource challenges impeding the fight against HIV and AIDS in Ghana.
The Commission over the years has been bedevilled with logistics, human and financial resource challenges which impede anti-AIDS campaign and education drives.
According to the HIV/AIDS Sentinel Survey Dissemination for 2017, the prevalence rate for HIV estimates in Ghana increased from 1.62 to 1.67.
“HIV/AIDS has been on the low side for some time now but recently the spread is on the increase. That is the danger, and that is why we all need to fight it. Ghana has been blessed, we have managed to control it for so many years now, but for a lot of reasons most of them will be attributed to lack of resources we are having financial challenges as such we are unable to do most of the things we use to do”, Member of the Governing Board of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kwadwo Appiah Kubi, said.
He is positive the setting up of the Ghana AIDS Fund will bring some relief to their operations.
“The president has created the AIDS fund and has gone on revenue mobilisation drive and we believe that at the end of it all, with the inauguration of the regional AIDS Committee they will all contribute to reverse the rising trend. To enable us cater for the needs of the Ghana AIDS Commission In terms of logistics and in terms of personnel, I believe that by the year 2020 we should be patting ourselves on the back that yes we have worked hard and that hard work has contributed to achieving the target that many regarded as ambitious,” he said.
Dr Appiah-Kubi said this during the inauguration of a nine-member committee to advance the agenda of the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC).
The committee is made up of;
– Regional Minister, – Simon Osei Mensah
– Region Director of Ghana Health Service – Dr Alberta Nyarko
– Kumawuhene, (Regional House of Chiefs) – Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua
– Christian Council (Methodist Church) – Very Rev K.A. Acheampong
– Regional Chairperson Network of Association of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+) ASHANTI – Madam Theresa Ampah
– Regional Chairman, Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET) – Elder Ebenezer Sackey
– Regional SHEP Coordinator, Ghana Education Service – Mary Owusu Achiaw
– Secretary to Regional Chief Imam (Federation of Muslim Council) –Ustax Ahmed Seidu
– Technical Coordinator, Tech Support Unit (Ghana Aids Commission) – Ms Olivia Graham
The setting up of the committee was led by the Regional Minister is part of government’s effort to ensure its ambitious target of 90-90-90 is met.
The target stipulates that 90 per cent of HIV careers must be tested, 90 per cent of the tested must be put on antiretroviral therapy, and 90 per cent of all HIV persons on antiretroviral therapy should have viral suppression.
Dr Appiah Kubi is imploring the public to as much as possible abstain or use the condom if difficult to abstain in the bid to reduce the prevalence.
“AIDS is a menace and all of us must come together to help achieve the set target. If we are able to do that we shall be able to achieve the targets of minimising the incident rate,” he said.
Source:myjoyonline.com
