SUBMIT TO VOLUNTARY TESTING (December 5, 2007)

Story: Abdul Aziz

POLITICAL, traditional, religious and corporate leaders have been called upon to show courage and openly submit themselves for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV/AIDS to encourage ordinary people to patronise VCT.
The Co-ordinator of an international HIV/AIDS charity organisation, Woyome Foundation for Africa, who made the call, said the fact that citizens knew that their leaders were openly testing would give a new boost to the HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in the country.
Mr Nanbigne, who addressed a two-day international conference on HIV/AIDS in Accra, said it was worth emulating the VCT programme for corporate leaders currently underway in Kenya.
He particularly called on the Ghanaian government to demonstrate true leadership by showing examples of voluntary testing.
He commended female Members of Parliament (MPs) for undergoing voluntary screening for breast cancer, adding that a similar exercise could be organised by Parliament devoted to VCT for HIV.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Abraham Dwumah Odoom, who opened the conference, said the ABC of prevention HIV/AIDS (Abstinence, Be faithful and Condom use) was facing major constraints amidst the rising prevalence rate in the country.
He said the tool to be considered now was the empowerment of women to negotiate save sex.
Mr Odoom said stopping HIV/AIDS was the top priority of the government because the pandemic had the potential to erode all social and economic gains made over the years.
He further said HIV/AIDS was a security issue engaging the attention of the government, which was committed to bringing it under control.
The deputy minister urged civil society organisations (CSOs) to assist the government in empowering women to become independent financially to enable them, especially the poor and the vulnerable, to say no to men who indulged in unprotected sex.