Story; A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua
IN the early 1980s, HIV/AIDS, one of the most dreadful diseases, started having its toll throughout the world.
Ever since, deaths related to that dreadful disease have been on the increase throughout the country, particularly in the Eastern Region.
The most disturbing aspect of the pandemic is that it has brought in its wake a number of orphans, some of whom have been infected with the disease, which currently has no cure, although medical researchers are doing their best to find a panacea to the pandemic.
The stigma associated with the disease of which the victims keep on growing lean each passing day before finally going to eternity, has resulted in some family members disowning some of the infected persons who are at times driven out from their homes.
To help curb its spread in the country, the Ministry of Health first set up an HIV/AIDS centre (Fevers Unit) at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, in Accra, the country's premier health facility. It later established other centres at the St Martins Hospital and the Atua Government Hospital, both in the Manya Krobo District in the Eastern Region, where specially trained medical personnel and paramedics have been posted to deal with the problem.
Due to the strategic positions of the St Martins and the Atua Government hospitals, situated near the intersection of three regions, Volta, the Greater Accra and the Eastern, numerous victims of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly those from the Asuogyaman, Yilo Krobo, Manya Krobo, New Juaben and the Fanteakwa districts, all in the Eastern Region, as well as Dangbe West in Greater Accra Region, throng these two health facilities for counselling, testing and treatment.
Considering the suffering of the victims and the negative impact of the pandemic on society, the Konor of Manya Krobo, Nene Sakite II in collaboration with Life and Hope, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), decided to come out with a number of initiatives to support the government’s intervention to deal with the pandemic.
The initiative entails the mobilisation of the queens of Manya Krobo in 1999 to take care of the domestic and educational needs of the orphans of victims, as well as vulnerable children, with the Konor as father of such children. The Ghana AIDS Commission and other organisations provided the financial support.
The queens, with Mannye Natenkie as the leader, are also helping in the training of the youth, especially girls, in vocational skills to generate income for their sustenance so that they do not rely on men to put their life at risk of contracting the HIV virus.
Nene Sakite, who was instrumental in roping in Family Health International, an NGO, to assist, in especially the provision of antiretroviral drugs, has also established a school, the Institute of Professional Counselling, at Odumase Krobo, which is staffed with Kenyan experts to offer a month’s course in psychological counselling to students after which the products would go to the communities to educate the people on all aspects of the pandemic.
The school, working in collaboration with Life and Hope Foundation and the Kenyan Institute of Professional Counselling, has just graduated its first batch of students. It is expected to be upgraded to a tertiary educational institution to offer a two-year Higher National Diploma programme in psychological counselling.
Addressing the maiden graduation ceremony, Nene Sakite asked the graduands to live up to expectation.
He said although funds were required for the success of the programme, more depended on ideas, leadership and appropriate strategies for which he was prepared to offer.
According to Nene Sakite, after all the interventions, he realised that there had been a missing link, lack of attitudinal and behavioural change by the people, so he decided to set up the school to train psychological counsellors to address the situation.
He expressed the hope that such an initiative would produce more counsellors for the communities.
The Director for Policy, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Sylvia Anie-Akwetey, stressed the need for proper counselling of HIV/AID patients and commended Nene Sakite for his initiatives.
For his part, the Executive Director of the Kenya Institute of Professional Counselling, Mr Joseph Ndungu, who led the team of Kenyan experts to the school, asked chiefs in the area to play active roles in HIV/AIDS eradication programmes.
A graduand, Mr Benjamin Boanu, said he had learnt new methods of counselling, and gave the assurance that he would spread the HIV/AIDS prevention, management and care and support message in the communities.
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