Tag: HEALTH NEWS

  • Suspension of USAID funding, major setback to HIV/AIDS fight-GHANET 

    Suspension of USAID funding, major setback to HIV/AIDS fight-GHANET 

    The Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET), has expressed concern about the country’s ability to eradicate HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, following the suspension of funding by the United States Government.  

    Early this year, the Trump-led administration, pulled the plug on USAID funding, globally.  

    The “stop work” directive has brought to a halt a few major projects, especially within the health sector. 

    Speaking to the media at an Easter HIV screening and sensitisation, at La Pleasure Beach, in Accra,  Mr Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, President of GHANET, described the suspension of USAID funding as a major setback to achieving the target.  

    He explained that already, with dwindling donor support and the inadequate government funding, over the past few years, Ghana was already facing the likelihood of missing out on the targets. 

    “The biggest hitch we have now is the stop work order from the U.S. government. That has been a major blow to us as far as funding is concerned,” he stressed.  

    Ghana also faces a challenge meeting the UNAIDS global target, which requires nations to ensure that 95 per cent of people living with HIV are diagnosed, 95 per cent of those diagnosed with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 per cent of all those receiving ART achieve viral suppression (VLS) by 2025. 

    Currently, only 65 per cent of people living with HIV in Ghana are aware of their status, 69 per cent of these people are on treatment while 89 per cent have achieved viral suppression. 

    Mr Ortsin urged the Government to commit more resources to the sector as promised in the 2025 Budget to fill the gap created by the USAID suspension. 

    Additionally, he appealed to the Government to activate the National HIV/AIDS Fund, established nearly a decade ago to complement other sources of funding. 

    “We want to urge Government, just as it was stated in the 2025 budget, we want government to fulfill its promise and make more resources available towards the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Mr Ortsin urged. 

    He added that: “We need the national HIV/AIDS fund urgently because now the U.S. government, their withdrawal of funding, it’s going to affect us, and so, if government doesn’t make resources available through the national HIV and AIDS fund, that is really going to affect the national campaign against HIV.” 

    The HIV screening exercise saw about 500 people screened for the virus. 

    Additionally, over 100,000 condoms were distributed to revelers as part of the exercise. 

    Mr Ortsin encouraged Ghanaians to avail themselves to regular testing to help early diagnoses, treatment and curb the spread, warning that the disease remained a threat. 

    For instance, he noted that in 2024, more than 35,000 people were diagnosed for the first time with the virus. 

    “So, it means the disease is still very much with us, and we need to encourage people to test,” Mr Ortsin said, adding “we are encouraging people to test, know their status, so that they don’t have to pass on the virus to their loved ones, especially pregnant women, so they don’t pass on the virus to their unborn children.”  

    Madam Bernice Ababio, Administrative Manager for GHANET, identified stigmatisation as a major challenge to fighting the virus. 

    Again, she said, the mystery surrounding the virus created a certain suspicion among some people, who therefore refuse to observe the safety measures including testing for the disease.  

    “Some individuals feel that HIV is a myth, they still don’t believe in HIV. So, when you try to talk to them to get them to come for the test kits, they are hesitant.  

    “They feel that this is a way for some individuals to try to make money. So, they do not believe that HIV still exists,” she noted. 

    To tackle these challenges, Madam Ababio called for intensified public education to raise awareness about the disease to dispel these ideas. 

    Source: GNA 

  • Mental health, psychosocial support for prisons project ends in Tamale

    Mental health, psychosocial support for prisons project ends in Tamale

    A six month-long project, implemented to provide mental health and psychosocial support services for some prison inmates and officers, has ended in Tamale.

    It was implemented in seven prisons across the northern and the middle belts of the country namely Tamale, Sunyani, Wa, Navrongo, Yendi, Gambaga and Damongo. It focused on the capacity building of inmates and officers (peer counselors) and providing them with psychosocial support services. The project, dubbed: “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Prisons”, was implemented by the Total Life Enhancement Centre-Ghana (TOLEC-GH), a psychology focused organization.

    It was supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and funded by the United States Department-Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement in collaboration with the Ghana Prisons Service. As part of the implementation strategy, the project incorporated the art therapy underscoring the importance of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which served as a benchmark for prisons reforms worldwide and promoting a more humane and just approach to incarceration.

    Mr. Peter Mintir Amadu, Executive Director of TOLEC-GH, speaking during the close- out of the project in Tamale, said it provided support services to a total of 538 inmates and 114 officers in all the seven prisons. The close-out ceremony was attended by representatives of implementing partners including the Centre for Social Development Reform (CSD Reform), Legal Aid Commission, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Health Service and NGOs.

    Mr. Mintir said the project had succeeded in training 42 inmates and 47 officers to ensure that support services were accessible and sustainable at the prisons. He called on stakeholders including government to prioritize supporting the prisons through increased mental health services, budgetary allocations, staff capacity building and the provision of modern facilities.

    Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) Mr. Thompson Otsyokpo, Northern Regional Commander of Prisons, who was represented at the event, lauded the project saying it had improved the mental health of inmates and contributed to their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. He said, “A healthy mind is the foundation for positive change, and this project has given many of our inmates the tools to embark on that journey.”

     

    Source: GNA

  • Essence Medical Laboratory in Labone, Accra – Your Wellness Hub

    Essence Medical Laboratory in Labone, Accra – Your Wellness Hub


  • Dialysis facility at KATH to be expanded from six-bed to 30-bed capacity

    Dialysis facility at KATH to be expanded from six-bed to 30-bed capacity

    The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has rolled out a programme to expand its dialysis facility from a six-bed to a 30-bed capacity to meet the increasing demand and reduce cost.

    The current six-unit facility at the Polyclinic is being expanded to 22 to add up to an ongoing eight bed capacity being built at the Emergency and Accident unit.

    The projects are expected to be ready in December.

    The Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Dr Oheneba Owusu-Danso, announced in Kumasi last Monday when the Sankofa  Medical Charities based in Atlanta, USA, founded by a Ghanaian, presented two dialysis machines and 12 dialysis chairs valued at $60,000 to the hospital.

    The donation  was facilitated by Ghana’s former ambassador to China, Mr Edward Boateng.

    Dr Owusu-Danso said the current expansion projects and the installation of various equipment was part of a broad-base policy of the facility to offer state-of-the-art delivery to its increasing number of patients, expecially those from the Northern sector.

    Foundation

    The secretary to the foundation, Dr Al Majid Adams, said since the foundation was formed by Ghanaians, it was only fair that attention was shifted to Ghana for assistance.

    He said the foundation would liaise with KATH for future need-based assistance.

    The Ashanti regional minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, who received the items on behalf of the hospital before handing them over to the CEO, commended  the former ambassador to China for spearheading the support calling on Ghanaians abroad to give back to their motherland.