Dr. Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi, a presidential advisor on HIV/AIDS and former director general of the Ghana Aids Commission, worries a pandemic is on the way.
This, she claims, is due to the media's relegation of the HIV/AIDS crisis to the background.
"HIV/AIDS is still a concern," Dr Blay Adu-Gyamfi remarked on Asaase Radio. We never longer hear about HIV/Aids because of COVID. Because we don't hear about [the disease], I'm confident we'll have a large outbreak very soon. Individuals are not aware of it... [but] people require [ongoing] HIV education.
"HIV/AIDS is incurable. You can only put a stop to it... "Once you're positive, you're positive till you die," stated Dr. Blay Adu-Gyamfi. She asked the media to continue to educate the people about HIV/AIDS, stating that the illness is still rampant in Ghana.
Funding
Dr. Blay Adu-Gyamfi stated that the government requires additional funding to combat HIV/AIDS. "We've talked about it [aids financing]." We require funds, and I am hopeful that the president will approve the Aids Fund shortly, as money is now unavailable from outside sources.
"The Global Fund is present, but it is insufficient to meet our demands." As a result, the Aids Fund will be launched very shortly.
"Because he [the president] is the chairman of the Ghana Aids Commission, I'll be at the Presidency [to guarantee] it's introduced immediately." Antiretroviral medications
She stated that the manufacture of antiretroviral medications in Ghana had been discussed in the past.
"We've discussed it. We've even asked some of these major pharmaceutical corporations about it. I recall speaking with them when GIHOC had a pharmaceutical facility.
"Big private companies like Kinapharma were approached, and it was in the works, but then COVID appeared...
But now that we're talking about COVID vaccinations, we should be talking about developing our own antiviral drugs."
Bill that is anti-gay
She expressed her optimism that MPs will do the right thing on the anti-gay measure presently before Parliament. "Don't put religion into everything," Dr. Blay Adu Gyamfi stated. Don't try to be more pious than others.