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Ghana: Aids Commission Not Opposed to Herbal Cure for HIV/Aids
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Public Agenda (Accra)
15 February 2008
Posted to the web 15 February 2008
Selorm Amevor
Accra
The Presidential Advisor on Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS, Professor F. T. Sai has said that the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has not closed its doors on Traditional Herbal Practitioners working to find a cure for the HIV/AIDS menace.
According to him the Commission only has problems with quack practitioners who tend to peddle lies about having the cure for the HIV/AIDS virus.
"Imagine a herbalist who can tell you that he uses the urine of an individual to determine whether the person is cured or not, it just unrealistic", he said at the launching of the 2nd National HIV/AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON) which takes off between 3 to 5 March this year. It will be on the theme "Sustaining a comprehensive National Response to HIV" he indicated that there is the need for all to come together and fight the menace.
He indicated that the GAC is not into conducting research for the cure of the dreaded virus, rather funds credible research institutions to help find a cure or medicines that would help increase the life span of infected people.
According to Prof. Sai many Traditional Herbal Practitioners have created the impression that the commission frowns on them any time they bring their proposals for funding.
He said the GAC will only fund credible herbalists who have conducted enough research into the disease and have evidence to prove that they are just not deceiving the public.
He indicated that the GAC will be organizing a conference for all Herbalists in the country to come together and find the best way the commission can help fund credible practitioners in their work.
Prof. Sai called on the Ghana Journalist Association to facilitate a national debate on whether or not prostitution should be legalized in the country.
He said that the issue of whether prostitution should be legalized or decriminalized as part of the measures to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS should be discussed for a consensus to be reached on which way the country should go.
Touching on the upcoming conference, Dr. Sylvia J. Anie-Akwetey, Director Policy Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the GAC said the second conference will bring together over 400 policy makers, researchers and implementers amongst other stakeholders.
According to her the aim of the Conference is to discuss challenges in sustaining the national response to HIV/AIDS and also initiate a process of developing research priorities.
Dr. Anie-Akwetey revealed that the outcome of the 1st NHARCON led to significant improvement and expansion of the national HIV and AIDS response.
According to her since 2004, driving the prevalence level further down has remained the major pre-occupation of the commission and its stakeholders.
In view of that the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework 2006-2010 was created to catalyze an expanded national HIV response with focus on accelerated prevention ,comprehensive treatment ,care and support services and mitigation of the impacts of AIDS on the infected individuals and families.
In the expanded national response she revealed that prevention of new HIV infection has been pursued through the provision of comprehensive services, including the promotion of safe sex practices, provision of safe blood and blood products.
In addition to the expanded national response the commission has worked to Prevent Mother-To-Child-Transmission (PMTCT), control and management of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and the provision of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services in both private sector facilities.
She further revealed that the expanded national response to HIV/AIDS has benefited considerably from continued favorable policy environment facilitated by supportive policies and guidelines, strong advocacy and resource mobilization.
The Director-General of GAC, Professor Sakyi-Awuku Amoa commenting on the just ended Ghana 2008 tournament said the commission was able to distribute about four million condoms across the four cities.
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He said that the Commission is collaborating with the Food and Drugs Board to ensure that condoms that come into the country are of the required international standards.
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