The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has entreated the government to help restock antiretroviral drugs in the country.
It said the current stock was expected to run out in May 2026, and although the country had been promised some, nothing concrete had been done yet.
The Deputy Director, Programmes, at GAC, Derick Oppong-Agyare, in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the commemoration of this year’s World AIDS Day, explained that if the drugs ran out, the viral load suppression gains could relapse and also trigger drug resistance and other metabolic factors.
The event, which was on the theme: “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” is commemorated globally on December 1 annually.
It unites people around the world to show support for those living with HIV, and also remembers those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
It also offers an opportunity for the public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care around the world.
Challenges
Mr Oppong-Agyare said funding was the main interruption the country was facing regarding its HIV response programme.
He said that when early this year the US cut funding support to the Global Fund, Ghana’s main donor, HIV support was obstructed.
That, the deputy director explained, had trickled down to funding for HIV assistance to the extent that agreed programmes that were legally binding had to be amended.
“So we are going through a re-prioritisation with a funding cut which was initiated by President Trump, which is affecting the national HIV response,” he said.
The situation threatens to unravel decades of progress, Mr Oppong-Agyare said, adding that HIV services were being disrupted, especially in fragile and conflict situations, including community-led services and marginalised populations.
Measures
Mr Oppong-Agyare, however, commended the government for the bold step it had taken in directing the GAC and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to come up with a funding module for people living with HIV.
“That was a very big decision we have been advocating for some years now. Fortunately, enough, two months ago, we started a final discussion, but the fact is that the actuality of it is yet to be completed.
“When it is done, hopefully people who are living with HIV will find enhanced care when they visit the hospital,” he said.
Other measures include Ghana’s proposal to UNITAID this year for Lenacapavir, the groundbreaking HIV prevention medication that involves a twice-yearly injectable.
The drug had shown remarkable efficacy in preventing HIV infections with a 96 per cent reduction in risk for gender-diverse individuals, and 100 per cent effectiveness in cisgender women.
He, however, said that Ghana had not been successful with that proposal and would, therefore, reapply next year.
ICASA 2025
On the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), which opens tomorrow, Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre, he said it would give the country a platform to share ideas with other nations, among other benefits.
It would be the first time Ghana would host the conference.
