Assemblies of God signs MOU with six HIV/AIDS support groups
Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services (AGREDS-Ghana), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), have signed a one year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with six support groups of Persons Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs).
The MOU would ensure that 200 PLWHAs are put on the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) for one year and supported with GH¢12,000.00.
Another GH¢6,330.00 would be used to bring together 470 orphans and vulnerable persons within the six groups located at Wa, Nadowli, Jirapa, Lawra, Nandom and Tumu into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Mr Alexis Danikuu, AGREDS-Ghana Senior Programme Officer who signed on behalf of his organization, said they had been supporting the groups for the past six years.
He said the MOU would specifically give assistance to beneficiary support groups to scale-up their activities in the area of Care and Support interventions for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the region.
These activities include facilitating the use of resource persons for monthly group counselling sessions on topics mutually beneficial to members.
They would also determine needy PLWHAs within the groups to be registered under the NHIS and pay for the monthly ART beneficiaries contribution of GH¢5.00 for 12 calendar months.
Mr Danikuu said AGREDS-Ghana had the responsibility of monitoring the activities of support Groups and facilitating the establishment of an account with the various service providers in order to track transactions between support Groups and service providers.
Alhaji Tamimu Zaid, the Regional Focal Person on HIV/AIDs, said initially there were only three groups of PLWHAs in the region but the figure had now risen to 20 groups with over 500 registered members across the region.
He said in the region HIV/AIDS had rendered over 470 people orphans.
Alhaji Zaid said last year, the Commission released GH¢47,000.00 to Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) and another GH¢450,000.00 to four NGOs operating in the region for them to increase their activities to help reduce the spread of the virus.
Dr Kofi Issah, the Upper West Regional Deputy Director of Public Health, commended AGREDS-Ghana for their support for PLWHAs in the region and said health financing was not a responsibility for government alone but rather a responsibility of all concerned citizens.
Madam Genevieve Yiripare, the Regional HIV/AIDS Coordinator, said the biggest challenge faced by PLWHAs in the region was how to access the Anti-Retroviral drugs but with support from AGREDS-Ghana, the problem would be solved.
Source: GNA