By Alex Ababio
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that government will re-activate the National HIV and AIDS Fund to step up domestic resources mobilisation to further improve care.
The President made this statement following calls to re-activate the fund to increase domestic resources preparation because of the new upsurge in new HIV infection in the country.
The President, in a speech read on his Health by Minister of Health , Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu, said: “In spite of the ongoing fiscal space, low revenue , rising debt reimbursements, and devastating crisis expenditure on Coronavirus, I’m not reneging on this responsibility.
“I will give the details of Government’s responsibility when I launch the National HIV and AIDS Fund in the following couple of days,” he expressed.
He settled on the decision at a national durbar coordinated by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) to observe the 2022 World AIDS Day and the Commission’s twentieth anniversary.
It was on the theme : “20 Years of a Multi-Sectoral HIV Response: Accelerating Progress to End AIDS .”
The President further guaranteed all People Living with HIV in the country, that in spite of the difficult economic situation, the government would keep on focusing on a continuous stockpile of antiretroviral prescriptions to ensure their continued resolved to continue to stay in care.
“As of now, we have attempted to improve access to treatment by laying out something like one treatment community in practically all district the nation over,” he stressed .
He noted that the Government was carrying out pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis for selected population, empowering each Ghanaian to be striking, and get tried to know their HIV status.
” Anything regarding the result, there is a compelling packages of services accessible,” the President said.
He lauded every one of the people, communities , development partners , and civil society organisations who had made recognized commitments to the national HIV response .
Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, the Director General of GAC,outlined several intervention, which had impacted over the years .
Over the years , he noted , the assessed adult HIV prevalence diminished from 2.5 percent to 1.6 percent, and new infection and AIDS related deaths in everyone decreased by 41% and 59 percent, respectively.
“These decreases happened across all age groups and orientation. New infection in adult aged 15 years and more seasoned were decreased by 32%, in kids 0-14 years by 65%, and in youngsters (15-24 years) by 35per cent .
“AIDS deaths additionally decrease in adults 15 or more by 59%, in kids (0-14 years) by 56%, and in youngsters by 50%,” Dr. Atuahene noted .
These critical decreases were the consequences of the far reaching use of anti retroviral prescriptions and the use of information and science in programming and policy formulation.
The rate per 1,000 uninfected population decrease from 1.56 to 0.57.
The Director General encouraged Ghanaians to get a sense of ownership with safeguarding themselves from HIV infection by taking on defensive ways of behaving like partner decrease, right and consistent use of condoms, and testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
He exhorted: “Knowing your HIV status is a significant piece of viable HIV counteraction. So test and know your HIV status.”