The Chief Executive Officer of Send Ghana and Chief Party, People for Health(P4H) project Saphia Kamare has urged the Ghana Health Service and Ghana AIDS Commission to sustain the gains made by the implementation of People for Health project to intensify public education on HIV.
HIV population in the country as at the end of 2020 stands at 346,120 and the prevalence rate is 1.68%.
Figures from the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) revealed that out of the 18,928 new HIV infections in 2020, a total of 5,211 are young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
The Eastern Region recorded 2,000 new infections same period.
Speaking to the media in Koforidua at the sidelines of closeout of P4H project, the Chief Executive Officer of Send Ghana and Chief Party, People for Health(P4H) project Saphia Kamara said the project has revived public education on HIV hence Ghana Health Service must leverage the structures laid in the 100 underserved beneficiary communities of the project to sustain and improve sensitization.
Andrew Acheampong a focal person for P4H project at Birim South said low campaign is a threat to reduction of HIV infections.
The P4H project was implemented between 2016 and 2021 in 100 underserved Communities in Greater Accra , Eastern ,Northern ,North East , Savannah and Oti Regions.
The implementation of the project was led by a consortium comprising Send Ghana, Penplusbytes, and the GNA.
The key partners of the project were Ghana Health Service, Ghana AIDS Commission, National Malaria Control Program, National Health Insurance Authority,20 district citizen monitoring committees involving 375 grassroot groups.
P4H incorporated Send Ghana’s participatory monitoring and Evaluation Framework with consortium members’ innovative technological approaches to strengthen the capacities of government and civil Society for mutual accountability in family planning, maternal, newborn, and child health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, HIV/AIDS services for key populations, malaria preventions, and treatment and related interventions.
The Eastern Regional Minister Seth Kwame Acheampong called for the sustainability of the gains made during the implementation of the project.
Dr. Akoto Ampaw, Medical Director at the Eastern Regional Hospital call on the public to be cognizant of the patient’s charter and exercise same to demand quality healthcare.
The implementation of P4H project has strengthen the organizational and institutional capacities of both government and civil society for mutual accountability in family planning, maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, HIV/AIDS services for key populations, malaria prevention and treatment, and related interventions in order to improve the management and performance of health systems that support these services.
The approach for achieving this goal is based on enhanced social accountability, which blends SEND Ghana’s tried and tested Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation framework with consortium members’ methodologies. These are innovative technological approaches to increase citizens’ voices to demand and champion improved access to quality of health services. The project works through civil society organizations (CSOs) and government partnerships at the community, district, regional and national levels.
The project achieved its objective of increasing the capacity of CSOs to effectively advocate on key issues in the health and HIV sectors; mobilize and empower communities to demand better and equitable service delivery; and strengthen CSO demand for accountability, compliance and equitable service delivery.
Source: Ghana/ Kasapafmonline.com/Kojo Ansah
