1,200 People goes through COVID-19, HIV/AIDS screening

By Justice Dzido On Dec 22, 2022

GIZ, a German development agency, together with its partners under its Comprehensive Pandemic Management for employees, families and communities, has organised an HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 screening for about 1,186 people at five different locations in three regions as part of this year’s World AIDS Day.

The screening was carried out at Adabraka Appointed Time Screen Printing (Adabraka ATP), Accra Digital Center in the Greater Accra Region, Kasoa in the Central Region, as well as Nsawam and Asutuare in the Eastern Region.

At Adabraka ATP site, 247 people were screened, 332 were screened at the Accra Digital Center, 250 at Kasoa, 157 at Asutuare and 200 at Nsawam.

During the screening, on the theme, “Managing HIV/AIDS in a COVID-19 era” based on a campaign dubbed “#BeDoubleSure”, a clarion call was made for Ghanaians to stay alert and guarded against the two viruses.

Promote awareness

The Head of the Medical Team at Accra Digital Centre and Adabraka ATP, Dr Kojo Essel, said cardiovascular disease kills more Ghanaians than COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS combined and, therefore, it was “critical to continue these screening exercises to promote awareness so people can protect themselves”.

Charity Owusu Danso, who has lived with HIV/AIDS for more than 20 years and remarried during the period with six HIV-negative children, cautioned Ghanaians against stigmatisation.

Ms Owusu Danso, who works as a cadre at the Kasoa Polyclinic, said “Both diseases are harmful and one can be bedridden if not careful and that is why I work as an advocate. Don’t hide your status and don’t be ashamed.”

This campaign was spearheaded by GIZ and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development through develoPPP, which is a funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The European Union (EU), Kasapreko, Blue Skies, Adabraka ATP, Golden Exotics, Coca-Cola and the French Embassy are GIZ’s development and private partners in the campaign.