President Mahama hopeful of HIV and AIDS elimination

President John Dramani Mahama on Friday said Ghana had the potential to reduce the incidence of HIV and AIDS new infections to zero per cent if proper regulations are adhered to.

He said currently, government had managed to reduce the prevalence rate of new infections from 12,000 to 7,000 new infections for the past few years, while, the national prevalence rate had also reduced from four per cent to 1.3 per cent at the same period.

President Mahama said this when the United Nations Executive Director Mr Michel Sibide, called on him at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra.

The Executive Director and his delegation were at the Presidency to share ideas with President Mahama on the global fight against the disease and to commend Ghana for steps she had so far taken to stem the disease in the country and the continent as a whole.

Present at the meeting which focused on the work of the Lancert Commission, and the HIV & AIDS interventions in Ghana were Mr Girmay Haile, Country Director of UNAIDS and Dr Kwaku Agyeman Mensah, Minister of Health among other dignitaries.

President Mahama said the mother-to-child transmission had also reduced from 31 per cent to nine per cent over the years and gave the assurance that the figure could be reduced to five or zero per cent under the five-year health plan.

He said government under the Ghana AIDS Commission is working around the clock to increase the supply of Anti-Retroviral Drugs to patients to over 60 per cent to fight and reduce the spread of the disease.

President Mahama said government had also made available some funding under the Export Development and Agricultural funds to Pharmaceutical Companies, to produce drugs for both domestic use and to other neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region.

He said government is also working to generate more funding to become self-reliant in the fight against the disease and commended the UNAIDS for their continuous support in that direction over the years.

On Ebola Virus, President Mahama said Ghana is preparing feverishly against the disease within the country and the sub-region as a whole.

The President disclosed that Health Experts from the sub-region will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday, August 27, after which Ministers of Health will also hold a similar meeting before an emergency Heads of State meetings to strategise on the way forward.

He said government will also strengthen isolation and quarantine programmes to prevent the outbreak of the disease in Ghana.

Mr Sidibe commended Ghana for her strides in the fight against HIV and AIDs over the years, indicating that, Ghana could become the model in the fight against the disease in the continent and globally.

He said the core measure to stem the disease was to increase the production of medication for patients and also intensify educational programmes against it.

He lauded Ghana's efforts at supporting the pharmaceutical companies to step up production of anti-Retroviral drugs.

Mr Sidibe also used the occasion to express his condolence to Ghanaians on the death of Sir Paul Victor Obeng, Senior Advisor to the President.