By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu, GNA
Bolgatanga, June 30, GNA – The Upper East Regional Hospital has intensified HIV testing and public education, boosted early diagnosis and significantly increased case detection rates.
The hospital’s integrated HIV testing and awareness strategy promotes early diagnosis, timely treatment, increased status awareness, and reduced HIV transmission across the Upper East Region.
Mr Samuel Efa-Quayson, Data Manager at the hospital’s Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Unit, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the hospital replaced mass community HIV testing with provider-initiated facility testing after routine screening proved more effective.
“Initially, HIV testing was conducted during durbars, church programmes and national celebrations. However, funding constraints and the relatively low number of positive cases identified through those outreach activities led programme managers to integrate HIV testing into routine health services offered at almost all units in the hospital,” he said.
According to Mr Efa-Quayson, healthcare professionals across the hospital trained to routinely offer HIV testing to patients seeking medical care.
“We have trained and oriented nurses and doctors at our service delivery points to educate patients on the importance of knowing their HIV status and to offer HIV testing as part of routine healthcare,” he noted.
He explained that data collected since the implementation of the strategy indicated that routine facility-based testing achieved a significantly higher HIV detection rate than the previous “Know Your Status” community campaigns.
Mr Efa-Quayson emphasized that knowing one’s HIV status was beneficial regardless of the outcome.
“When people know they are HIV-negative, they are encouraged to continue protecting themselves and maintaining healthy lifestyles. It also gives them peace of mind,” he explained.
He added that individuals who tested positive could begin treatment early, achieve viral suppression and live healthy, productive lives while preventing further transmission of the virus.
“With early diagnosis and strict adherence to treatment, many patients achieve what we describe as ‘Undetectable Equals Untransmittable’ (U=U), meaning the virus is suppressed to levels where it cannot be sexually transmitted to their partners,” he said.
He disclosed that the Regional Hospital recorded 184 new HIV cases in 2025 and had already identified about 104 new cases before the halfway point of 2026.
“The figures indicate that new infections remain a concern, underscoring the need for sustained public awareness and regular testing,” he stated.
He disclosed that more than 5,500 people in the region were receiving HIV treatment by the end of 2025, with the number increasing to approximately 6,087 during the first half of 2026 following the enrolment of newly diagnosed patients.
He noted that the actual number of people living with HIV could be higher, as individuals who had defaulted on treatment for more than three months were not included in the active treatment register.
Mr Efa-Quayson commended the Ghana Health Service for integrating HIV education into routine healthcare delivery, saying the strategy had sustained public awareness despite reduced large-scale sensitization campaigns.
In a separate interview, Madam Evelyn Apusiga, the ART Unit In-Charge, urged Ghanaians to make HIV testing a personal responsibility, “The message we have for everybody is simple: Know your status. HIV is real, and it is everywhere,” she stated.
She stressed that HIV does not discriminate based on age, gender, occupation or social status, “Irrespective of who you are or how careful you are in life, we are all at risk. Everybody should test and know their status,” she advised.
She dispelled misconceptions surrounding HIV, stressing that a positive diagnosis was no longer a death sentence.
“HIV is not a death sentence. What is more harmful is the stigma and discrimination people living with HIV often face. With consistent adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), individuals living with HIV can live long, healthy and productive lives,” she said.
She encouraged people living with HIV to remain committed to their medications, explaining that patients who consistently adhered to treatment could enjoy life expectancy comparable to that of the general population.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/George-Ramsey benamba
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Email: [email protected]