“AIDS is real and has no cure yet” - Ashanti Regional Health Directorate

The Medical Superintendent for Suntreso Government Hospital, Dr Agyarko Poku has asserted that HIV/AIDS has no cure hence the need for patients to take the requisite approach to know their status through tests to be able to access HIV services.

He advised the public on the need to use condoms because it’s the only biomedical way of preventing HIV.

“I must emphasize that we don’t have any cure that can totally remove the virus from our body but what we have now will be able to control the multiplication of the virus in the body and that individual will be free from other opportunistic infections.”

“Apart from condoms we don’t have any biomedical way of preventing HIV and we are hoping that one day we’ll have a cure and I’m urging the people in the region to continue to protect themselves because HIV and AIDS are real.”

The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate on Monday marked World AIDS Day under the theme,” End Inequalities, End AIDS”, throwing light on the fact that as much as the virus itself, the social stigma attached with it also greatly affects people.

World Health Organization (WHO) on December 1, 2021, called on global leaders to rally to confront the inequalities that drive AIDS and to reach people who are currently not receiving essential HIV services.

Dr Agyarko Poku assured that as part of measures to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate will place condom vending machines at vantage points especially in the Metropolis.

He added that religious belief is a bigger challenge at determining the spots for the machine yet appropriate plans are in place to define the locations.

“Condom Vending machines have been placed in some key areas in the Metropolis and it’s on the piloting bases to check to see if people will actually use it for the needful, but our biggest challenge is that these machines cannot be put anywhere near a Church or Mosque because of our beliefs and misconceptions we have about it but after this exercise, we’ll come up with the place we’ll place it at”, he added.

He disclosed that the Health Directorate’s focus is on reaching out to people and encouraging persons to “take the first step to test for the disease to know their status.”

“Being able to know your status and diagnosed earlier gives you a better chance of extending your life span and keeps patients and sexual partners safe.”

In the Ashanti Region, 44,325 people have tested positive for HIV and are on treatment in the half-year of 2021 with an estimated people of 77, 859.