By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Takoradi, March 07, GNA – The Life Relief Foundation, (LRF), an HIV and AIDS focused NGO has launched the “Community Response Team” as a frontline to reporting cases to hospital facilities in achieving the 2030 target of ending AIDS across the globe.
The Community Response Team would be tasked to own and continue the many interventions for care of such patients in their communities and link them to health facilities under the Sustainability wing of a project implemented by the NGO.
Mrs Cecilia Oduro, the Executive Director of the LRF at the launch of the Team and Stakeholders meeting said many successes had been chalked through USAID, strengthening the Care Continuum project that must be sustained to realise the 95-95-95 concept.
The 95-95-95 concept would ensure that 95 of infected cases were identified, 95 of same put under medication to gain a 95 percent viral suppression, which made it significant in eliminating the disease.
The Community Response Team comprised traditional leaders, nurses, family heads and Faith-based organisation equipped with relevant knowledge for active community work and interventions.
They would also facilitate easy access to target populations in the community and provide HIV services such as testing and referral services to ensure collective identity, empowerment, and ownership in the sustainable drive processes.
Dr Paul Sowah, Capacity Strengthen Adviser to JSI, Care Continuum Project encouraged health professionals to be kind to infected individuals and treat them with dignity in sustaining the gains chalked in the area.
He said, “there are also myths and misconceptions on the route of infections, an area that need more attention for education and awareness.”
Dr Sowah also advised against wrong choice of adjectives to describe patients, which he said demoralise and, thus, lead to interrupted treatment…. Ours is not to chastise but to give hope to these people if we really want to achieve the 2030 vision.
Dr Emmanuel Tamakloe, Ahanta West Municipal Director of Health called on the Response to work hard to ensure that the quest to Undetectable and Untransmittable was achieved.
GNA