Ghana, USA sign $74m to fight HIV

Koforidua, Dec. 02, GNA - The Acting Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Angela El-Adas, has urged eminent people in the society like lawyers, doctors, pastors, politicians and media practitioners who are on the Anti Retroviral Drugs treatment to accept the challenge to become "Ambassadors" of HIV/AIDS.

She was speaking at a durbar in Koforidua on Tuesday to mark World AIDS Day.


She appealed to those people to defy the fear of being stigmatized and discriminated against to speak out openly about the virus. Dr El-Adas said the country needed courageous people as HIV/AIDS ambassadors.


The United States Ambassador in Ghana, Mr Donald Teitelbaum, said the amount would improve prevention, treatment and care services to HIV infected people.

He commended Ghana for demonstrating good leadership in the fight against the spread of HIV and said the US was committed to working in partnership with countries that demonstrated quality leadership towards the reduction of infection of HIV/AIDS.


Mr Teitelbaum said the agreement was to help increase the number of persons receiving care by 200 percent to 130,000 and also increase anti-retroviral coverage from 30 percent to 60 percent by 2013. He said the US contributed over $200 million towards the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Ghana.


Daasebre Oti Boateng, Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, suggested the establishment of user-friendly non-formal counselling centres throughout the country to encourage people eto have access to Voluntary Counselling and Testing.