By Benjamin Akoto
Goaso (A/R), Aug. 10, GNA – The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) in collaboration with its key partners has conducted a Joint Implementation Support Mission (JISM) to assess the progress of important Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) programmes in the Ahafo Region.
The objective of the mission was to review the progress made towards achieving the 95-95-95 targets and evaluate the implementation of key policies such as Differentiated Service Delivery and Treat All Policy.
This annual mission, supported by the American President’s Relief Emergency Programme for HIV/AIDS, involved visits to three adopted regions of Western, Western North and Ahafo, allowing partners to collaborate and assess the progress of some policies.
Speaking in an interview with Ghana News Agency at Goaso, the Ahafo Regional capital, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Bambila, the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regional Coordinator of the GAC said the programme was a five-day exercise and emphasised Ghana’s significant success in responding to HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome over the past decade through the implementation of a comprehensive multi-sectorial strategy.
He said it had contributed to reducing the occurrence of new infections and increasing the number of individuals undergoing treatment, saying despite that achievement, there had been challenges in implementing HIV programmes such as availability of funding and scarcity of certain resources.
To address those challenges and identify emerging difficulties, Mr Bambila underscored the importance of conducting monitoring visits to engage with national, regional and district levels’ stakeholders to discuss HIV interventions and their resolutions.
During those visits, the team interacted with stakeholders, including the Regional Coordinating Council, Asunafo North Municipal Assembly, the Regional Health Directorate, the regional and district hospitals, as well as HIV programme implementing partners and agencies in the Ahafo region, he said.
GNA