Takoradi, June 8, GNA – Ghana Care Continuum Project of the USAID, is encouraging persons living with HIV and AIDs and have defaulted to access healthcare.
Such defaulters who might have stopped treatment for months and years would be lured under the project to as a matter of intervention visit health facilities or even health Personnel visiting their homes to supply medication under the 95-95-95 fast track goal.
The goal, which was previously 90-90-90 had been increased to ensure epidemic control by 2030 with the aim of having 95 percent of people living with the condition knowing their positive status, 95 percent have sustained treatment and 95 percent on treatment had suppressed viral loads to a point that they could not transmit the virus.
Dr. Henry Nagai, the Chief of Party said this at a training workshop for selected journalists with support from the US embassy and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, (PEPFAR).
The Chief of Party said many who shun quality health care over the period had suffered needless deaths, “since the launch of epidemic control in the Region in 2019, many have been out of the intervention to care for such defaulters to suppress their viral load”.
“We have trained our health care professionals to assist to achieve good health”, he indicated.
Dr. Nagai added that data quality and accountability have been key on the agenda with the introduction of index testing for partners, HIV and AIDs self-testing kits, linking infected persons to treatment, multi months dispensing and the PrEP programme.
The Western and Western North Regions have made significant gains in epidemic control with a high score of between 86 percent and 94 percent on all the indicators.
Dr. Nagai said the project was working hard on reducing stigma and discrimination.
Ms. Virginia Elliot, Counsellor for Public Affairs of the US Embassy said countries around the world have greatly benefitted from long term US partnership in strengthening health systems through PEPFAR.
The PEPFAR sought to achieve HIV and AIDS epidemic control in more than 50 countries around the world, ‘ this intervention had swiftly addressed other outbreaks and strengthen platforms for global health security.
Ms. Elliot said, the training of the journalists was to contribute to the over self-development of such persons and their ability to spearhead HIV AIDS education.
Ms. Elliot said the seven weeks designated for the training of the 120 journalists across Ghana would build their capacity to achieve awareness especially among higher risks of HIV infection.
GNA