Ghana must up the fight against HIV and TB

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for intensification of the fight against HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis (TB).
   
They said more was needed to be done to overcome stigmatization and ensure access to antiretroviral drugs by people infected with HIV/AIDs.
    
The CSOs made the call at a three-day advocacy training workshop held in Kumasi.
     
The programme was organized by the Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), an NGO and the goal was to help the organizations to engage in advocacy and monitoring of the availability of HIV and TB commodities.
    
Ms. Olivia Graham, the Coordinator, Technical Support Unit of the Ghana AIDS Commission, said there was the need for the public to give strong support to the infected persons to lead normal lives.
    
They should not be condemned as being disgraceful but deserved to be shown love and care.
     
She urged the opening of more antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres to enable the patients’ to access treatment.
     
Mr. David Nartey Tekpenor, Programmes Manager of HFFG, said the workshop was part of a one-year project to equip the CSOs with advocacy, monitoring and data gathering skills on HIV and TB commodities in three districts.
    
These are the Kumasi Metropolis, Bekwai and Obuasi Municipalities.
    
The project is aimed at tearing down the barrier of public stigmatization and being implemented by the HFFG in partnership with the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET), another NGO.
    
The finding is coming from the United States (US) Ambassador’s Small Grants Project.
    
Mr. Tekpenor said they would be working closely with the Ghana AIDS Commission, Ghana Health Service, Ghana-West African Programme to Combat AIDS and STIs (WAPCAS), and the Network of Association of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+Ghana), the media, traditional and religious leaders to achieve the goal.

Source: GNA