NF-(Ashaiman) The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) in collaboration with the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has inaugurated a 9 Member HIV AIDS Committee in Ashaiman.
The nine-member committee included the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), the Municipal Director of Health Services, representatives of Network of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+ Ghana), Civil Society Organization (CSO) in HIV and AIDS, and Christian Groups.
The rest are representatives of the Federation of Muslim and Ahmadiyya Mission, the Traditional Council, Municipal Director of Education and the Municipal HIV focal person.
Delivering a keynote address at the event, Dr. Fred Nana Opoku Director of Technical Service Ghana AIDS Commission stated that Ghana has adopted the United Nations sustainable Development Goal 3 which was aimed at ending AIDS by year 2025.
He added that the Ghana AIDS commission has gone through several reforms with the aim of ensuring that copious provisions were made to safeguard the rights of persons living with HIV and also establish HIV and AIDS funds and promote resource mobilization.
Dr Opoku further mentioned that the initial District AIDS Commission (DAC)has been replaced with the Municipal Committees of the Ghana AIDS Commission saying its membership have been slightly modified under sections 9 of the Ghana AIDS Commission act 938 (2016).
According to him the agenda 95,95,95 was still on course and the government was working assiduously to establish the national HIV and AIDS funds so as to ensure that the national response was financially independent.
Dr Opoku charged the committee to work harder to complement government efforts in the fight against the HIV AIDS disease.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Albert Boakye Okyere the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Saaka Dramani Ashaiman Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD) noted that the committee has a big task to perform within the municipality.
Mr Dramani further added that due to the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic the general public seems to have lost its grasp with issues relating to HIV AIDS over the years.
He therefore called on the members of the committee to discharge their duties professionally so as to re-echo the need for the citizens to be worried of the rate at which HIV cases were being recorded within the various communities.
346,120 estimated cases have been recorded in the country with some 1.68 percent prevalence rate nationwide.
Source:GNA