Model HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centres (VCTs) needed -Forum

A stakeholders’ forum on USAID-Ghana SHARPER Project on HIV/AIDS prevention and care in the Volta Region has called for HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centres to be modeled on similar ones in Kpando and Hohoe.

This is to protect the confidentiality and privacy of HIV positive persons and create enough space for service delivery and they must have their own laboratories, data and counseling rooms, reception and pharmacies.

Madam Emma Amuzu, Anti-Retro-viral Therapy (ART) Centre Co-ordinator at the Hohoe Government Hospital, mooted the idea which was adopted by the Forum.

The Forum, attended by HIV positive persons on ART, VCT Centre attendants, HIV focal persons, Health Administrators and officials of Future Generations International (FUGI), the implementing partner for the project, discussed the achievements and challenges of the project at the end of its second phase Known as “Strengthen HIV/AIDS Partnership with Evidence Based Results (SHARPER), the project sought to build the capacity of “Most-at-Risk” populations, encourage them to use condoms consistently and to strictly adhere to Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) regime.

The challenges of the project included lack of privacy for HIV patients, limited space, poor staffing, need for commensurate incentives for volunteer attendants, frequent shortages of testing kits and discontinuation of ART medication by some clients and stigmatization among the clients themselves.

Also identified were allegations of some health workers informing on the status of patients to their friends and acquaintances, family members abandoning their HIV positive relatives at the hospitals and neglect of HIV positive orphans by their guardians.

The colour of the folders of HIV positive persons was to make it easy for the public to identify them. The tendency of some HIV positive persons to have VCT and ART medication away from their localities made it difficult for them to be monitored.

High society HIV positive persons were allegedly unwilling to associate with other positive persons and shy away from attending VCT and provide leadership and build the confidence of others.

They were said to secretly arrange to be given their ART drugs.

It was also observed that many midwives who were trained to run the VCTs have abandoned their duties but continue to benefit from incentives including training opportunities.

The forum was critical of radio advertisements professing cure for the virus, thereby encouraging patients to abandon ART medication on to report back to the VCTs when they developed complications.

The HIV positive persons commended FUGI for building their confidence and for giving them new leases of life.

They said through the activities of Models of Hope (MOHOPE) and Peer Trainers comprising some of their colleagues they have become confident and active as every normal person for many years since they were tested positive.

The MOHOPEs and Peer Trainers have also been active in helping to run the VCTs, thus helping to ease the pressure on attendants who were limited in number.

Dr. Joan Awunyo-Akaba, Executive Director of FUGI, said the country must assume greater responsibility for sustaining the HIV prevention and treatment programme and increasing its momentum.

She said indications were that the donors would continue the project for another 18 months.