Shortage of HIV Testing Kits hits Eastern Region of Ghana

http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/wp-admin/media-upload.php?type=file&tab=library&post_id=92316&post_mime_type=&s=aids&m=0#The District HIV Focal Persons in the Eastern Region have raised concerns about the shortage of HIV Testing Kits in their areas.

The situation, they said, has resulted in almost all the implementing agents in the region, engaged by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) for the HIV prevention programmes, to miss their targets on HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC).

The focal persons said as a result of the shortages some of them have not been able to conduct a single HTC this year.

This came to light at a joint meeting of District HIV Focal Persons and members of the Regional AIDS Committee in Koforidua on Friday.

The meeting was to assess the performance of the various stakeholders in the region in implementing various programmes to control the spread of HIV and to strategize for the future.

The HTC is the key to the national HIV Strategic plan which aims at zero new HIV infections, zero mother to child HIV transmission and zero new HIV related deaths.

Responding to the concerns of the District HIV Focal Persons, the Eastern Regional Coordinator of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), Dr Emmanuel Amoah, explained that as a result of the shortage, the region was using the available testing kits to support the reduction of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV.

Dr Amoah called for effective collaboration between the various players in the HIV prevention program.

He expressed worry that in some districts, information on HIV at the district hospitals is not available to the health authorities.

In a speech read on her behalf, Ms Helen Adjoa Ntoso, the Eastern Regional Minister, called on all stakeholders in the HIV prevention programme in the region to work hard to sustain the gains made and help reduce the HIV prevalence rate.

Ms Golda Asante, Technical Coordinator of the Technical Support Unit of the Ghana AIDS Commission, called on the District Focal Persons to involve members of the District AIDS Committee in their activities.

She urged the Focal Persons to raise any issue with regard to the performance of the implementing agents with the TSU for early action and advised them to take advantage of any opportunity offered by radio stations to engage in public education.

Source: GNA

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