A presidential advisor on HIV/AIDS and former director general of the Ghana Aids Commission, Dr Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi said she fears there could soon be an epidemic.
This, she said is because the media has relegated the problem of HIV/AIDS to the background.
Speaking on Asaase Radio, Dr Blay Adu-Gyamfi said: “HIV/AIDS is still a problem. With COVID now, we don’t even hear about HIV/Aids at all. I’m sure we are going to have a big epidemic very soon, because we don’t hear of [the disease]. People are not being cautious of it … [but] people need [continuous] education on HIV.
“HIV/AIDS cannot be cured. You can only suppress it … once you are positive, you are positive till you die,” Dr Blay Adu-Gyamfi said, adding that people need to exercise great caution with the disease and take the necessary precautions.
She urged the media to educate the public continuously about HIV/AIDS as the disease is still prevalent in Ghana.
Funding
Dr Blay Adu-Gyamfi said the country needs more money to fight HIV/Aids. “We’ve talked about it [funding for Aids]. We need funding and I hope very soon the president will consent to the Aids Fund, because now money is not coming from outside.
“The Global Fund is there but that’s not sufficient for our needs. So very soon we shall be having the Aids Fund launched.
“I’ll be at the Presidency [to ensure] it’s launched quickly, because he [the president] is the head of the Ghana Aids Commission.”
Antiretroviral drugs
She said there have been discussions in the past regarding the production of antiretroviral drugs in Ghana.
“We’ve talked about it. In fact, we’ve approached some of these big pharmaceutical companies for it. When GIHOC had a pharmaceutical institution, I remember we talked to them.
“The big private ones like Kinapharma were approached and it was in the pipeline, but then COVID came …But it is very imperative, now that we are even talking about COVID vaccines, we should be talking about producing our own antiretroviral medication.”
Anti-gay bill
On the anti-gay bill currently in Parliament, she said she is very hopeful that MPs will do what is right.
Dr Blay Adu Gyamfi said: “Don’t bring religion into everything … Don’t be holier than thou.”
She added: “One is cautious talking about these things … We are too radical when condemning certain people … the problem [homosexuality] is there: [Ghanaians] need to talk about it.”
“We need to talk about it. Don’t be an ostrich … I hope Parliament will do what is right and not bring religion into it. We need to do what is right; those people [homosexuals] are loved by God.”