Gov't urged to make available more antiretroviral drugs

Sekondi-Takoradi Health Journalists At The Two Days HIV Prevalence Workshop

Western Regional Director of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Mr. Philip Baidoo has urged government and stakeholders to make the antiretroviral drugs readily available to persons living with HIV per the “UNAIDS” strategy.

He was speaking at a workshop organized by the African Centre for Development Reporting (ACEDEV), with sponsorship from United States President Emergency Plan for Aids Relief -PEPFAR. About 20 Health Journalists based in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis attended the two-day workshop and were taken through Human Immune Virus “HIV” prevalence reporting and interventions.

Mr. Philip Baidoo reiterated that, it is required on the government, local authorities, families and individual’s involvement to help end the epidemic and achieve the ‘UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 agenda.

The 90-90-90 goal target implies that 90% of people encourage to test for HIV, 90% of persons entrusted to know their HIV status whiles the last 90% signifies that all people on HIV anti-retroviral treatment achieve suppressed viral load.

The Regional GBC director indicated that it appears the media practitioners are not setting the agenda and keeping the epidemic on the public radar concerning the HIV prevalence. He entreated the Sekondi-Takoradi Health Journalists to evolve innovative ways of spreading messages of the 90-90-90 strategy by UNAIDS to achieve HIV and AIDS free Ghana.

The United States President Emergency Plan For Aids Relief -PEPFAR focus was on the Western Region due to the economic activities as a result of the oil exploitation attracting diverse people to troop into the region with the populace being at risk – female sex workers and men who have sex with men-MSM, long distance drivers.

Speaking to aptnewsghana.com reporter, Benjamin Bray, the representative for PEPFAR, Madam Dzid Enyonam Kwame said the idea of engaging the health journalists was because of the media’s ability of being the agenda setters, educating the mass populace, advocating and encouraging government to put in more funds and support in reaching the control of HIV.

Mrs Dzid Kwame emphasized that there will be extra activities and training from the PEPFAR on reaching diverse of persons including students, health workers, the media, people in government, CSOs and any individual on the street with information regarding UNAIDS fast track goal of 90-90-90 by 2020.

She further added that PEPFAR has made headway in achieving results on the target goal especially the First and Second 90s with much efforts on reaching the third 90.

Meanwhile the PEPFAR representative, Mrs Dzid Enyonam Kwame urged the media most especially the trained health journalists in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis to educate the mass audience on total eradication and avoid the discrimination of persons living with Human Immune Virus “HIV” and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome “AIDS”.

Photos of resource persons and participants: