Accra, Feb. 12, GNA - HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections draft policy to protect persons living with HIV/AIDS and address issues affecting them is ready for Parliament.

The draft policy, when passed into law would also put in measures to combat any further spread of the disease and reduce the current prevalence rate of 3.4 per cent to the barest minimum.

Professor Sakyi Awuku Amoa, Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the draft was ready and would be presented to the Minister of Health, Dr Kweku Afriyie to be forwarded to Cabinet for approval.

The policy would address issues such as behavioural change communication, blood screening and testing, home self-testing, treatment, mother to child transmission, young people and HIV/AIDS, gender and AIDS and legal and ethical issues.

Wilful and negligent transmission, the use of traditional medicine, AIDS education in schools, human rights, treatment and care and research have all been captured in the policy.

Other areas include the creation of conducive environment through advocacy, to ensure sustained political commitment and support for effective action against HIV/AIDS/STI have all been captured in the policy.

Prof. Amoa said the draft, which should have been presented to Parliament in August last year had some lapses and was presented to stakeholders for recommendations.

He said antiretroviral drugs, care for orphans and home-based-care were some of the issues raised by stakeholders and these have been addressed to fill in the missing gaps.

On the issue of antiretroviral drugs, Professor Amoa said 6,000 patients would be put on the therapy for the next two years in four selected government hospitals after which it would be extended to all hospitals.

The selected hospitals are Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals, Atua Government and Saint Martin Hospitals, both in the Eastern Region.

He said the Government had highly subsidised the antiretroviral drugs making the patients pay less adding; "under normal circumstances, a patient should have paid 600 dollars but now pays 50,000 cedis". He noted that the policy would also encourage employers and other members of society to have positive attitude towards people living with the menace and keep them in productive employment for as long as possible.

Prof Amoa said the policy when passed into law would ensure that access to social and economic opportunities remained open to people living with AIDS without any discrimination or stigmatisation.

He called for the commitment and cooperation of all stakeholders including the media to ensure that the policy was translated into action to fight the HIV/AIDS, which was depleting the productive workforce and the reproductive segment of the population.