People Living With HIV/AIDS need "safe homes"

Ho, Jan 31, GNA - Mr Livinus Acquah-Jackson, the Executive Director of New Seed International (NSI), a non-governmental organization, has called for the creation of centres to serve as safe "homes" for People Living With HIV/AIDS who are being stigmatised and discriminated against.

Mr Acquah-Harrison told the GNA in an interview that such centres would create independent and healthy environment for PLWHAS as pertains in some southern African countries.

''Such 'safe homes' can be equipped with social amenities to promote recreational activities with nurses and counsellors.'' He said the average life span of PLWHAs in the region stood at between three months to two years from the time of diagnoses due mainly to stigmatisation and discrimination and this accounts for the death of between 12 to 15 PLWHAS every week in the region.

Mr Acquah-Harrison said though PLWHAs in the region were grappling with non-availability of drugs to treat opportunistic diseases and lack of nutritious food, stigmatisation and discrimination were largely responsible for the rapid spread of the disease in the region making it one of the first five high prevalent regions in the country. Mr Acquah-Jackson said looking at situations on the ground the country could lose the fight against the spread of the disease if more proactive measures were not given serious consideration.