Ghana AIDS Commission deploys 400 condom dispensing machines
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has deployed 400 condom dispensing machines at strategic locations throughout the country.
The aim is to help promote condoms usage and make them easily accessible to people.
This was announced by Mr Cosmos Ohene-Adjei , Acting Director for Technical Services of GAC at an advocacy workshop organized by the Commission for Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender and Children in Koforidua.
He explained that since absolute abstinence and faithfulness to partners could not be guaranteed among the adult population, the surest way of preventing sexually transmitted infections including HIV was the consistent use of condoms.
Mr Ohene-Adjei said Ghana could be assured of a generation free from HIV if all the over one million women who got pregnant annually could be motivated to know their HIV status, and those who tested positive continued to receive treatment at the health facilities till birth to help prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.
Dr Philomena Nyarko, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the GAC, observed that with the HIV prevalence rate of 1.3 per cent and other impressive achievements in the response to the HIV in the country, Ghana risked being victim of its own success if the country became complacent and took the issue of HIV off the national agenda.
She said Ghana could only achieve its target in the response to HIV only when the legislature of the country fully understood the issues on HIV and provided unbridled support to HIV programmes in the country.
Ms Laadi Ayii Ayamba, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender and Children, called for the training of MPs to understand issues on HIV, the country’s response to the disease and the activities of the GAC.
She urged the MPs to be advocates for HIV and to motivate their constituents to know their HIV status.
Mr Henry Quartey, Acting Ranking Member of the Committee, called on the government to increase funding for the GAC to help it implement programmes that could help further reduce the prevalence of the disease in the country.
Source: GNA