The Ghana HIV & AIDS Network (GHANET), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, has held a Health walk to begin the commemoration of the 2023 World AIDS Day, which is slated for 1st December, 2023, “World AIDS Day: Remember and Commit”.
The annual event serves as reminder of the global struggle to end HIV-related stigma, which is an opportunity to remember all those who have lost their lives through the epidemic.
The health walk which took place in Tamale, brought together members of the Ghana AIDS Network, staff from the Ghana Health Service, Northern Region and the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, as well as the general public who walked from the Jubilee park in Tamale, through Abaabo to the Taxi rank, where speakers took turns to deliver speeches in solidarity of the commemoration.
In a speech read on behalf of the Northern Regional Health Director, Dr. John Bertson Eleeza, the North East Regional Health Director, Dr. Abdulai Abukari said “new HIV infections are at their lowest points since the 1980s when the outbreak occurred. It is therefore very important to note that HIV/AIDS takes a life every minute.”
“We all need to understand that the path to ending HIV/AIDS runs through our communities, beginning from getting access to testing, connecting people to treatment, supporting them with their medication and other follow-up visits, as well as getting access to treatment for progestin infections and other comorbidities, which are key to monitor their response to treatment and other services”, he added.
The Northern Regional Technical Coordinator for the Ghana AIDS Commission, Mr. Nuhu Musah called on all individuals to get tested for HIV, especially now that the self-testing is in place to ensure privacy, as he demonstrated the procedure for testing for all to see.
Speaking on behalf of the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu, Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tamale, Mr. Sule Salifu expressed appreciation to GHANET for sponsoring the walk and called on all to endeavor to take the HIV self-testing seriously, to help in controlling the epidemic.
Present at the walk, were members of the Ghana HIV & AIDS Network, including the Foundation for Research and Development (FoRD-Ghana) and the Community Empowerment Organization (CEO), who are also members of the Alliance for Future Generations (AFG-Ghana), which WUZDA Ghana leads as the chair of the secretariat.
WUZDA Ghana 