WA, May 31, GNA- Mr George Hikah Benson, Upper West Regional Minister on Friday, expressed his concern about the recent rise in HIV cases in the region from 2.6 per cent in 2006 to 3.3 per cent in 2007. He noted with sadness that while the national prevalence rate had decreased from 3.2 per cent to 2.6 per cent during the same period, that of the region has risen so sharply.

He called on all health workers to redouble their efforts in reducing the rate of spread of the virus.

Mr Benson was launching this year's nurses' week in the region at Wa, which is being celebrated under the theme: "delivering, quality, serving communities: nurses leading primary health care". He asked members of the nursing profession to rekindle their enthusiasm towards ensuring the health of the people throughout the country.

The Regional Minister reminded them that without their cooperation and total commitment to their work, the British Government's gesture of releasing funds for the provision of free prenatal services to pregnant women would not yield the desired result.

Mr David Salifu, Regional Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses' Association called on Chiefs in the Wa East District and the District Assembly to get their people to stop "the barbaric, criminal and inhuman act" of attacking health workers in the district.

According to him, health workers in the district were living in a state of perpetual fear following the assassination of one of their colleagues early this year and subsequent attempts by certain individuals in the district to allegedly assault a nurse. He further called on the Regional Police Commander and the Judiciary in the region to bring those who were associated with these crimes to book, warning that the association would not hesitate to withdraw its services if such acts of barbarism persisted. The Association appealed to the Ministry of Finance to address the "unfair and uneven" health sector salary structure, which was greatly affecting junior nurses and made them worse off than before.