AIDS Commission presents computers to Assemblies

Sunyani (B/A), Nov. 24, GNA - The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), on Wednesday, presented 22 computers and accessories, worth GHC 41,000, to the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council.

The computers would be distributed to all the 22 HIV/AIDS focal units of the Municipal and District Assemblies in the region. The computers are to enhance effective data management and reporting system of the beneficiaries, as part of the Country Response Information System (CRIS).

Making the presentation on behalf of the Commission in Sunyani, Mr Samuel Dery, Management Information Systems Officer of the GAC said the commission in 2008 re-positioned the monitoring and evaluation system with greater focus on refined data collection and the establishment of a functional national database.

He said in 2009, the commission with funding from DFID, supported 21 selected metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies and the 10 regional coordinating councils with computers and accessories to help in data management at the decentralized level.

"Subsequently these selected Assemblies were trained in the new version of the software released by the UNAIDS between May and June 2009, with technical assistance from UNAIDS Geneva", Mr Dery said. He said in January this year, a refresher training course was held for all regional focal persons and 30 civil society organisations on the use of the software, and from April to May, all the 170 focal persons and their assistants were trained in the use of the software. Mr Dery said as the commission moved into the next phase of its national response, under the National Strategic Plan (NSP 2011-2015), there was the need for stronger monitoring and evaluation system to help measure the success or otherwise of the national response for the next five years. He stressed the importance for more coordination and monitoring at the regional and district levels.

In this direction, Mr Dery said the GAC had decided to set up regional and district level technical support units in phases, in line with its mandate of Act 613.

This strategic move, he said, will further strengthen coordination and management of the decentralized response and facilitate the identification and provision of the technical assistance in areas of need in the regions and districts.

"All regions will be covered by 2015 and this will further cement regional ownership of the local HIV response in the country", Mr Dery stated.

He expressed the hope that the computers would be used to help in the HIV/AIDS data management and also facilitate timely reporting to the GAC. Mr Eric Opoku, Deputy Regional Minister, who received the computers, commended the GAC for initiating plans to retool the focal units of the assemblies for effective and sustained response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He expressed optimism that the much-awaited pick-up vehicles promised by the GAC for the monitoring would be delivered at the appropriate time. Mr Opoku advised Ghanaians to desist from lesbianism, homosexuality, multiple partnerships, pre-marital and unprotected sex with infected persons, use of unsterilized instruments and unsafe blood and blood related products, which fuels the spread of HIV/AIDS. 24 Nov. 10