First Lady takes health campaign to Sunyani

The First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, took her campaign on intensifying awareness of HIV and AIDS, cervical and breast cancers to Sunyani last Friday.
Organised by the Ghana Chapter of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) and the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), the First Lady’s campaign is aimed at empowering women to take charge of their reproductive health needs.

The first initiative took place in Koforidua in the Eastern Region and it was aimed at helping to mobilise communities, educate them and advocate more attention and resources to address the burden of HIV, cervical and breast cancers in Ghana.

As part of the Sunyani programme, residents benefitted from free screening for breast and cervical cancers, syphilis and other medical conditions, HIV testing and counselling.

Advocacy programme

Addressing a large gathering of chiefs, queenmothers, politicians, health personnel, civil society and religious leaders, Mrs Mahama, who is also the Vice- President OAFLA, said although HIV and the two cancers had devastating impact on women and, by extension their partners and children, there was a low level of awareness, resulting in avoidable deaths among women.

“There is the need for champions to lead the effort at awareness creation among our female population,” she stated.

Mrs Mahama said the national prevalence rate of HIV had reduced, adding that it showed a significant achievement chalked up over the years to reduce HIV infections.

However, she stated that the country must not be relenting in its efforts at educating the people in order to trigger a behavioural change among them.

“It is the cruelest injustice for innocent babies to inherit HIV from their infected mothers,” she stated.

Through simple, effective interventions within existing maternal and child health services which were available in the health facilities, the First Lady said, it was possible to achieve the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmissions.

Cervical Cancer

Touching on cervical cancer, Mrs Mahama indicated that it was prevented by immunisation against the human papiloma virus which causes the cancer.

She encouraged women to seek early detection and prevention of HIV, and breast and cervical cancers.

The Director-General of the GAC, Dr Angela El-Adas, said in Ghana at least 60 per cent of HIV cases were among women.

She also disclosed that 852 children were infected with HIV in 2012.

The President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Pemampem Yaw Kagbrese V, bemoaned spiritual conceptions about HIV and advised that everybody should check his or her status.

By Salomey Appiah/Daily Graphic/Ghana