Apam (C/R), April 11, GNA - The Voluntary Counselling and Testing unit of the Apam Catholic Hospital, recorded 36 new cases of HIV/AIDS during the first quarter of the year.

Previous records stood at 110 cases in 2003 and 107 cases in 2004. Fifty-four (54) out of the affected people are periodically receiving treatment, counselling, and other medical care from the hospital.

The Reverend Father Augustine Essel, Chaplain of the hospital, and Head of the unit said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that so far over 17 million cedis had been spent on the People Living With AIDS (PLWAS) during the quarter.

He expressed concern that some of the PLWAS were shying away from medical attention, which he said posed a serious threat to national efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The Chaplain therefore called on religious leaders to make the HIV/AIDS campaign a component of their activities.

He called on the public to support the hospital financially and in kind to enable it to continue to offer assistance to the PLWAS. 11 April 05