Stakeholders attending an advocacy meeting on scaling up HIV services through prevention and effective targeting of the prisons have called for rapid integration of HIV care into the health care system.

This, they said was important to significantly reduce the discrimination and stigmatization.

They pointed out that the segregation of consulting rooms for HIV patients in many of the public health facilities not helpful to the protection of the health status of people living with the disease including prisoners.

The situation where the colour of folders of those infected with HIV was different from that of the other patients also tended to expose the health conditions of such people.

The programme was organized by the Southern Zone Secretariat of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), implementers of a project under which personal hygiene kits are distributed to prisoners, alongside counseling and HIV testing.

The project, a collaboration between the PPAG and the Prison Service, is part of the new funding model of the Global Fund.

Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CSP) J. Adu-Mensah Danfoku, the Prison Service National HIV/AIDS National Focal Person, contributing to the discussions said prisoners infected with the disease and tuberculosis needed to be promptly referred to the hospitals for medical care and support.

He therefore asked prison officers to maintain close contact with the District and Regional Focal Persons to ensure treatment of the patients.

Mr. Albert Wuddah Martey, Programmes Director of PPAG, called on the project actors to find a way of motivating their peer counselors to reach out to more prison inmates.

Nana Ama Oforiwaa Sam, PPAG Southern Zone Manager, reminded the stakeholders to give it their all to achieve the intended outcomes.