Salultations
I welcome you to the Jubilee House, home of the nation’s Presidency, and I congratulate the oversight minister and members of the newly constituted Governing Board of the Ghana AIDS Commission on their appointment.
Since coming into office in January 2017, Ghana has made tremendous progress in her response in the fight against HIV. New HIV infections and AIDS related deaths have fallen by 14% and 19%, respectively, between 2016 and 2020. This was the direct result of scaling up of testing and anti-retroviral treatment services using differentiated service delivery models throughout the country.
Again, within the same period, the uptake of HIV testing increased by 80%, whilst the number of HIV positive pregnant mothers, receiving anti-retroviral therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission, increased by 159%. Similarly, the number of persons living with HIV and receiving anti-retroviral therapy increased by nearly 100% during the same period.
Significant progress has also been made in the area of data system strengthening, which has enhanced data capture and data use in health facilities across the country. These positive developments place us in a much stronger position to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) target of ending AIDS by 2030.
Our work, however, is far from done. HIV remains a major public health concern, and AIDS is one of the leading causes of death in Ghana, with an average of 21,000 deaths annually over the last five years. With more than 245,000 of the estimated 346,000 persons living with HIV on anti-retroviral treatment, we should not be seeing such significant numbers of new infections and AIDS-related deaths.
Currently, under the “Treat All Policy”, clients are initiated on anti-retroviral treatment within 7 days of diagnosis using standard models of care and patient-centered approach that assures improved linkage to care and retention in care.
Yet, clients on life-saving anti-retroviral treatment switch to herbal or spiritual substitutes in response to false claims of cure. Discontinuation of anti-retroviral treatment often results in increased viral load, and eventually death. Newly appointed members of the Board, I am hopeful that you will use your experience and technical expertise to halt this unfortunate development by strengthening the “Back to Care Campaign” which the Commission has embarked upon.
On addressing the issue of inadequate laboratory equipment and supplies in health facilities, I have been informed that the Global Fund is procuring additional numbers of GeneXpert machines to mitigate this challenge. As a matter of urgency, these machines must be installed as soon as they become available to improve patient monitoring and early infant diagnosis.
The national HIV and AIDS programme has shown remarkable resilience in the face of COVID-19 in the last two years. However, the country has not been spared its devastating impact. COVID-19 disrupted HIV testing, prevention and treatment services in Ghana, and continues to pose a significant threat to persons living with HIV, as it is common knowledge now that HIV infection can lead to severe COVID disease or even death.
With COVID still present, we face a serious challenge in ending AIDS by 2030, because it has the potential to reverse the gains made in the HIV response. We cannot afford to see the significant gains achieved in the HIV and AIDS response reversed. Ending AIDS and achieving HIV epidemic control require sustained efforts and investments in HIV prevention, treatment and care services as well as building resilient health and community systems.
I am fully aware of underfunding of HIV programmes, with donor expectation that government must fill the funding gap of more than 60% of the estimated cost of the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan 2021-2025. Specifically, government is required to provide funding to meet the costs of rapid diagnostic test kits, reagents and other laboratory supplies, anti-retroviral medicines to treat some 225,000 persons and the provision of condoms. Costs of prevention services for the general population, coordination and management of the national response must equally be borne by government.
The government is fully committed to increasing domestic resources to meet these demands through the National HIV and AIDS Fund. This Fund will not only ensure adequate domestic resources for the HIV and AIDS response but will also make the national response financially self-reliant on a sustainable basis.
Since the Ghana AIDS Commission Act 2016 (Act 938) did not provide any dedicated sources of revenue for the Fund, the previous Governing Board identified additional sources of funds that can ensure continuous inflow of revenue into the Fund.
The Governing Board was of the conviction that HIV financing should be a shared responsibility, and, therefore, industries whose activities create conditions for the spread of HIV should share the burden of funding. I urge this Board to work with the Minister for Finance to prepare and submit the necessary documentation for Cabinet consideration.
This year is the 20th anniversary of the Ghana AIDS Commission. However, its full integration into the public service is hampered by the lack of scheme of service. The good news is that Management team of the Commission has developed one for approval by the Public Services Commission.
It is my expectation that you will give the scheme of service your kind consideration when it comes before you, to enable the Secretariat to obtain the necessary authorization to migrate existing staff into appropriate grades, and to fully operationalize the Commission’s national and regional structures for effective delivery of its mandate.
Before I conclude, let me remind you that the Commission’s mandate is, principally, to prevent and control the HIV and AIDS epidemic, to promote and protect the rights of persons living with HIV, and to provide for related purposes. This goal must guide the decisions and actions of the Governing Board at all times. I must also draw your attention to the fact that this current decade is aimed at ending AIDS and achieving HIV epidemic control as enshrined in the SDGs.
The Commission has domesticated the HIV and AIDS related SDGs in the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan 2021-2025. Ending AIDS and achieving epidemic control are the goals of the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2021-2025. These goals are to be achieved by reaching the 95-95-95 fast-track testing and treatment targets, which requires that, by 2025:
The National Strategic Plan seeks to reduce new infections and AIDS deaths by eighty-five percent (85%), as well as eliminate mother-to-child transmission. The Strategy ensures that prevention, testing and treatment are given as a comprehensive package through standard models of differentiated services, to ensure that groups, communities and individuals receive tailor-made services that meet their specific needs.
The Strategy also seeks to achieve transformative results with demonstrable speed, urgency and intensity of implementation.
This National Strategy guides the multi-sectoral response, and I am confident that, if all stakeholders work together in implementing this Plan, Ghana shall surely end AIDS and achieved HIV epidemic control.
I charge the Governing Board to keep its focus on achieving the goal and objectives of the strategic Plan, strengthen mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, effective tracking of performance and accountability, and adhere to the principle of leaving no one behind.
Once again, I congratulate you on your appointment to the Governing Board, and I wish you a successful tenure.
May God bless the Ghana AIDS Commission, and us all, and may God bless our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.
I thank you.
