The Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET) has expressed concern about the country’s ability to eradicate HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, following the suspension of funding by the United States Government.
Early this year, the Trump-led administration pulled the plug on USAID funding globally.
The “stop work” directive has brought to a halt a few major projects to a halt, especially within the health sector.
Speaking to the media at an Easter HIV screening and sensitisation, at La Pleasure Beach, in Accra, Mr Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, President of GHANET, described the suspension of USAID funding as a major setback to achieving the target.
He explained that already, with dwindling donor support and inadequate government funding, over the past few years, Ghana had already facing the likelihood of missing out on the targets.
“The biggest hitch we have now is the stop-work order from the U.S. government. That has been a major blow to us as far as funding is concerned,” he stressed.
Ghana also faces a challenge meeting the USAIDS global target, which requires nations to ensure that 95 per cent of people living with HIV are diagnosed, 95 per cent of those diagnosed with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 per cent of all those receiving ART achieve viral suppression (VLS) by 2025.
Currently, only 65 per cent of people living with HIV in Ghana are aware of their status, 69 per cent of these people are on treatment, while 89 per cent have achieved viral suppression.
Ortsin urged the Government to commit more resources to the sector as promised in the 2025 Budget to fill the gap created by the USAID suspension.
Additionally, he appealed to the Government to activate the National HIV/AIDS Fund, established nearly a decade ago to complement other sources of funding.
“We want to urge the Government, just as it was stated in the 2025 budget, we want the Government to fulfil its promise and make more resources available towards the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Ortsin urged.
He added that: “We need the national HIV/AIDS fund urgently because now the U.S. government, their withdrawal of funding, it’s going to affect us, and so, if government doesn’t make resources available through the national HIV and AIDS fund, that is going to affect the national campaign against HIV.”
The HIV screening exercise saw about 500 people screened for the virus.
Additionally, over 100,000 condoms were distributed to revellers as part of the exercise.
Ortsin encouraged Ghanaians to avail themselves of regular testing to help early diagnoses, treatment, and curb the spread, warning that the disease remained a threat.
For instance, he noted that in 2024, more than 35,000 people were diagnosed for the first time with the virus.
“So, it means the disease is still very much with us, and we need to encourage people to test,” Mr Ortsin said, adding “we are encouraging people to test, know their status, so that they don’t have to pass on the virus to their loved ones, especially pregnant women, so they don’t pass on the virus to their unborn children.”
Madam Bernice Ababio, Administrative Manager for GHANET, identified stigmatisation as a major challenge to fighting the virus.
Again, she said, the mystery surrounding the virus created a certain suspicion among some people, who therefore refuse to observe the safety measures, including testing for the disease.
“Some individuals feel that HIV is a myth; they still don’t believe in HIV. So, when you try to talk to them to get them to come for the test kits, they are hesitant.
“They feel that this is a way for some individuals to try to make money. So, they do not believe that HIV still exists,” she noted.
To tackle these challenges, Madam Ababio called for intensified public education to raise awareness about the disease to dispel these ideas.
