ECOWAS govts to provide comprehensive health care services

Representatives of the Governments of the 15 ECOWAS member-states have declared their commitment to provide comprehensive health services to vulnerable populations in West Africa, official statement has said in Accra.

The various governments declared their commitment at the end of a meeting held in Senegal, and organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the West Africa Health Organization.

The representatives of the ECOWAS member states have, therefore, signed the decree to reaffirm their support to ensure that vulnerable populations were seen as an essential pillar of their national HIV strategies in order to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

It is also to promote access to health services for vulnerable populations to reduce the burden and transmission of HIV in West Africa.

These were contained in a release issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency by the US Embassy in Ghana, on Monday.

The meeting brought together Ministers of Health, Ministries of Justice Staff, Directors of National Police Forces, Technical Experts, Donors and Representatives of Civil Society Organisations to review the HIV epidemic in the sub-region and its disproportionate impact on key populations.

It was in line with the worldwide goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

Mr Alex Deprez, Director of USAID West Africa Mission, explained that, experts had recognised that controlling the epidemic in West Africa would require focus on under-served population and were at higher risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV, commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs.

“We now know that in countries like India, where vulnerable populations have been prioritized, HIV prevalence in both the general and key populations has remained low with significant gains in reducing HIV nationally,” he explained.

HIV prevalence among reproductive-age adults in West Africa has declined significantly over the past 15 years with rates below four percent in all 15 ECOWAS countries, hovering around 1 percent in most.

Although clear gains have been made, vulnerable populations in the region carry a disproportionate burden of HIV, the statement said.