HFFG ENCOURAGES HIV SENSITIZATION IN ALL REGIONS OF GHANA

According to the 2016 HIV Surveillance Survey, HIV prevalence was highest in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions at 2.7 per cent. This is a turn-around from the 2015 report which had indicated that Ghana’s capital had the highest HIV prevalence. Cecilia Senoo, the Executive Director of Hope for Future Generations (HFFG) has stressed the need for government and civil society especially, to maintain sensitisation, and HIV testing and counselling in all regions of the country, so that other regions are not neglected due to low prevalence rates.

Ghana’s theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is ‘The right to health; know your HIV status; seek early treatment’. The day is marked every 1^st December to call for the participation of various stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This is to encourage governments, individuals, civil society groups and all stakeholders to take responsibility and be part of achieving a shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

All Ghanaians regardless of their societal standing– young, old, married, unmarried, with or without disabilities, educated, uneducated, adolescents, aged, living in rural, urban or peri-urban areas, employed or unemployed need to know their HIV status and seek early treatment. 

 “All people, regardless of their age, gender, where they live or who they love, have the right to health,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “No matter what their health needs are, everyone requires health solutions that are available and accessible, free from discrimination and of good quality.”

The United Nations and some civil society groups including Hope For Future Generations are garnering support and partnership from all stakeholders to ensure that Ghana reports progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 – Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages – by leveraging rights-based practices and behaviours to ensure that health care is accessible, acceptable, available and of good quality for all Ghanaians.