Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), has emphasized the importance of providing social protection services to women and children affected by AIDS.
He highlighted that, despite advancements in the HIV response, one of the often-overlooked areas in resource allocation is impact mitigation and social protection for individuals made vulnerable by AIDS. Dr. Atuahene stressed the critical nature of this, especially considering that AIDS is projected to have orphaned over 230,000 children.
“It is, therefore, imperative to provide socio-economic impact mitigation assistance and social protection support to HIV affected households that assure livelihoods of adult members and guarantee access to essential services to orphans and vulnerable children,” he stated.
Dr. Atuahene made this plea during the 2023 World AIDS Day National Durbar held in Accra by the Ghana AIDS Commission. World AIDS Day is observed annually on December 1, serving as a day for global solidarity to support those living with and affected by HIV, and to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS.
The theme for the 2023 celebration, “Let Communities Lead,” underscores the role of communities in ending AIDS. Dr. Atuahene emphasized that children orphaned by AIDS require essential provisions such as clothing, food and nutrition, education, health, and a supportive environment for their overall well-being.
Dr. Atuahene highlighted that Ghana has been making significant strides in eliminating AIDS as a public health threat. Since 2003, the number of anti-retroviral treatment locations has surged from three to 745, spanning across all 16 regions of the country.
He further noted that HIV treatment has been integrated into the primary healthcare system, offering more options for stable individuals living with HIV (PLHIV) to obtain their medications at Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds.
Additionally, Dr. Atuahene mentioned that advanced treatment technologies, such as long-acting drugs, are becoming more accessible in the market. He expressed optimism that Ghana would soon provide these advanced treatments to consumers.
“We now have the tools to end AIDS and achieve epidemic control by 2030. However, a lot of work needed to be done to address the key gaps in the national response,” he added.
Dr. Atuahene underscored the importance of addressing impediments to expedite progress toward the 95-95-95 goal in HIV treatment. He also emphasized the need for primary HIV prevention among the population, highlighting that casual heterosexual sex is projected to contribute to over 74% of new infections in the country.
He urged the government to promptly address the socioeconomic impact of HIV and implement social protection measures for households affected by HIV.
During the national durbar organized by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), a short code *9898# was launched on MTN and Vodafone telecommunication networks to facilitate donations to the HIV Fund.
Mrs. Frema Opare, the Chief of Staff, encouraged the GAC to leverage its expertise in public health response to enhance ongoing efforts against emerging pandemics and their relation to HIV and AIDS.
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Executive Oversight Minister of GAC and Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), expressed that Ghana’s national response to HIV falls short of expectations and potential. He urged everyone to contribute to the collective effort.
The durbar was attended by the Deputy Minister of Health, NAP+ Ghana representative, Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET), Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, traditional leaders, and other dignitaries.