Ghana spent $323.7 million on HIV/AIDS-related initiatives during the course of the previous three years, according to data from the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC).
For the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, the total cost associated with HIV/AIDS was $88,648,568, $107,280,242, and $127,828,300, respectively.
The monies for each respective year were the total contribution given by the government, the private sector, and the international community, according to Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission.
At the release and distribution of the National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) report for 2019, 2020, and 2021, Dr. Atuhene said this.
What is NASA
NASA describes the cash flow, real disbursements, and expenses for HIV/AIDS programs. It is an extensive and systemic resource tracking tool.
In addition to detecting and filling funding gaps, it describes the HIV/AIDS money flow and expenditures for both health and non-health activities during the time period given.
The report focuses on three areas: financing, provision, and consumption. It also includes general projections of what the public, private, and foreign contributors will spend on the country’s HIV and AIDS response.
The findings from the report
According to the Director General, research from NASA 2019–2021, 2020–2021, and 2021 likewise demonstrates a similar tendency of overdependence on foreign funding for the country’s HIV response.
As the nation worked to address the intricate discrepancies in resource distribution, he said it was important to use the report as a vehicle for lobbying in order to reevaluate HIV funding.
“We all have a part to play in defining how we introduce quality into the daily operations of the national response.” stated Dr. Atuhene.
Even though the amount of money for HIV was rising in the years under review, the GAC Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Tetteh Larbi, indicated in a highlight of the report that HIV spending exceeded the expected resources.
He said that according to the report, Ghana’s HIV response was primarily reliant on foreign funding, with HIV care and treatment accounting for the biggest portion of HIV financing, followed by program enablers, health systems strengthening, and HIV prevention.
Thus, Mr. Larbi advocated for the mobilization of local resources, institutionalized routine HIV/AIDS resource tracking, and the development of creative strategies to reach important demographics.
Commendation
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, the Executive Oversight Minister for GAC and Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, praised the NASA steering group for providing technical support for the exercise while releasing the report.
He pleaded with the Commission to keep in touch with the government, aid organizations, and all other humanitarian and development participants in the national response.
According to Dr. Afriyie, this would assist in raising the necessary cash to support the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for 2021–2025, which will help the country reach its goals and put an end to the AIDS pandemic by 2030.
The UNAIDS Country Director’s representative, Mrs. Cynthia Adobea Asante, praised the GAC for the report and promised to keep working to safeguard the weak and marginalized.
credit: Citinewsroom
