Civil Society Groups have been tasked to effectively partner the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to fight the HIV/AIDS in order to keep an active national labour force.

The call was made at an advocacy durbar, organised by the Bawku Municipal Assembly, with the Ghana AIDS Commission, to educate people and call for the support of stakeholders and civil society groups to partner with the MMDAs to fight the menace.

Mr William Ebo Ansah, the HIV/AIDS focal person for the Bawku Municipal Assembly, noted that HIV negatively impacted on life expectancy, health, education and the economy and had dire social and psychological impact on both the infected and affected.

He explained the spread of HIV and the ability to cope with its consequences could not be isolated from the social, cultural, economic and political conditions in the country.

Therefore, he said, an effective national response to the epidemic must be holistic as HIV contributed significantly to the morbidity and mortality rates in the country.

Mr Ansah urged the government and other development partners to increase the Assemblies’ common fund on HIV and AIDS from 0.5 per cent to at least 10 per cent to enable them to embark on effective educational programmes.

Madam Cecilia Abilla Abobilla, Midwife in-charge of the AIDS Caregiver Department of the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital, urged people in the area to conduct the voluntary HIV test to know their status.

She also tasked parents to educate their children on HIV and AIDS and the dangers of unprotected sex.