Tema, June 8, GNA – Dr Stephen Ayisi-Addo, the Programme Manager of the National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NACP), says the NACP is determined to implement key policies geared towards, accelerating the progress of ending the AIDS by 2030.
Dr Ayisi-Addo said it was the goal of the NACP to achieve epidemic control and fast track targets of 95-95-95 by 2025 as a means of accelerating the global target to end the epidemic by 2030.
The 95-95-95 targets, which was launched globally by the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), had the aim of diagnosing 95 per cent of all HIV positive persons, put at least 95 per cent of those diagnosed on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and achieve viral suppression for 95 per cent of those on treatment by 2025.
He gave the assurance during the 13th edition of the Ghana News Agency-Tema Region’s Stakeholders Engagement and Workers Appreciation Day Seminar.
He spoke on the topic: “Ghana’s HIV strategies in line with the global health strategy for HIV, STI and Viral Hepatitis; An integrated approach to prevention.”
He said the four strategic objectives were aimed at empowering the population to prevent new infections, and ensure the availability of and accessibility towards prevention, treatment, care and support services.
He added that the strategies were also geared toward mitigating the social and economic effect of HIV on persons infected and affected by HIV and subsequently ensuring the availability of adequate funding to execute the policy strategies.
Dr. Ayisi-Addo revealed that NACP had initiated the combination of prevention and treatment for Adolescent Girls and Young Women, as one of the strategies.
He said, “there was also the provision of timely Pre-Exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis to Key Populations and persons exposed to HIV.”
The NACP Programme Manager further noted that his outfit had also initiated the implementation of HIV self-testing and the effective integration of HIV services to ensure universal health coverage.
He indicated that these targets and commitments in the Ghana HIV Strategy were in line with that of the Global Strategy and would ensure that the number of people who newly acquired HIV would decrease from 1.7 million in 2019 to less than 370, 000 by 2025.
Also, the number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses would also decrease from 690,000 in 2019 to less than 250,000 in 2025.
The GNA Stakeholder Engagement was a platform for state and non-state actors to address national issues.
Other speakers included Ms Fatimata Mahami, Tema Regional Director for Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) who spoke on “Is the fight against corruption a mirage or reality, Perspective of CHRAJ”.
GNA