Ghana government asked to absorb the cost of antiretroviral drugs
Dr Erasmus Yao Klutse, Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira District Director of Health Services, has suggested that the government absorbs the cost of
Antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.
This, he said, would make treatment affordable and for people living with HIV/AIDS and ensure universal access to treatment.
Dr Klutse was speaking at a durbar organized by the staff and management of the Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP) to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1, at Twifo Ntafrewaso, near Twifo Praso, in the Central Region.
This year’s celebration is under the theme: “Universal Access and Human Rights,” was marked with a quiz competition.
The Managing Director of TOPP, Neneyo Mate-Kole, called for serious efforts towards the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV by the year 2015.
He said the company had made significant contributions and investment in the Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira District, including HIV/AIDS prevention, as one of its corporate social responsibilities.
Neneyo Mate-Kole said since the TOPP workplace HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme was launched in 2000, 54 peer educators, including 23 from neighbouring communities, had been trained. Sixteen of them were trained as counsellors.
The company also set up a Voluntary Counselling Testing (VCT) centre, in 2005, to promote testing and behavioural change.
The centre has since sensitized 67,659 people, counselled 7,124.
He said 5,586 had been screened with 225 testing positive to the virus.
Neneyo Mate-Kole said 22 different communities have been reached with the mobile VCT exercises in collaboration with the Family Health International.
He said the company runs refresher training programs for HIV counsellors and peer educators every two years.
With the support of the Ghana Business Coalition Against AIDS, under the Multi-Sectoral HIV and Aids Project (MSHAP) stigma reduction campaigns and mobile VCT exercises were conducted in five neighbouring communities from Twifo Praso to Twifo Hemang and also at the TOPP working place, this year.
Mr Joseph Foster Andoh, DCE for Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira, commended the management of TOPP and other companies for making tremendous contributions towards the crusade against stimulation and discrimination of people living with the disease.
He said this year’s theme challenges discriminatory laws, policies and practices that prevented people living with disease from enjoying their full rights and tasked religious and traditional leaders to collaborate in the fight against stigma and discrimination.
Dr Cyril K. Krah, resident medical advisor and co-ordinator of the Work Place HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme, said so far the clinic had registered 245 and many of them were being helped to live as healthily as possible.
Prizes were presented to hard working educators and HIV counsellors.
Source: GNA