By P. K. Yankey
Takoradi (W/R), Nov 30, GNA- The United States Aid for International Development (USAID) Care Continuum Project, being implemented by the John Snow Inc. (JSI) as part of the fight against HIV/AIDS scourge, has donated 58 Motorbikes to the Ghana Health Services in three Regions.
The beneficiary regions, Western received 28 Motorbikes, Western-North 18 and Ahafo 12 for onward distribution to the various health facilities in the districts and sub-districts to ease the transportation needs of HIV viral load samples from the health facilities Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) sites to the reference laboratories.
This brings 116 Motorbikes donated by the USAID Care Continuum Project to the Western, Western-North and Ahafo Regions.
Motorbikes would among others enhance transportation from the sites to the hubs where these samples are batched to the Regional Reference Laboratory for testing and other health purposes.
The move is expected to improve the health of People Living with HIV (PLWH) and help them know their viral load situation.
Chief of Party of USAID Care Continuum Project representative in Ghana Dr. Henry Ajewi-Narh Nagai who presented the keys for the 28 Motorbikes donated to the Western Regional Health Directorate in Takoradi, said the transportation of viral load blood samples would afford the Ghana Health Services the opportunity to know whether the medicines they were taking to treat HIV were efficacious or not by testing to know their viral load.
He said the Motorbikes could also transport pregnant women and other health services such as the supply of vaccines from one point to another, especially where the road network was bad to navigate their way through the difficult terrain to get to some of the sub-districts service delivery points.
Dr Nagai said the Project would optimize the collaboration between service agents such as the Ghana Health Services, Ghana AIDS Commission, Christian Health Association of Ghana, PLWH and their clients to assist HIV patients to know their status and put them on life-saving Anti-Retroviral Therapy.
Receiving keys to the Motorbikes, the Western Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Yaw Ofori Yeboah acknowledged the immense contributions of the USAID Care Continuum Project to the fight against the HIV scourge in the Western Region.
He said the prevalence rate had dwindled with the collaboration, self-test, the access to medicines and medical facilities to ensure clinical results.
Dr Yeboah appealed to the public to volunteer for testing and treatment.
He said each of the 14 Districts in the Western Region has so far benefitted from four Motorbikes and commended USAID for the life-saving intervention.
GNA