Disseminate research findings of AIDS - Prof Amoah

Kumasi, Aug 5, GNA - Prof. Sakyi Awuku Amoah, Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, on Tuesday called on Ghanaian scientists to disseminate their research findings on AIDS to all stakeholders to promote the establishment and maintenance of a database on HIV/AIDS. He said Ghanaian scientists had an obligation to put their knowledge and experience at the disposal of the country in all areas of socio-economic development.

Prof Amoah was addressing the 23rd Biennial Conference of the Ghana Science Association (GSA) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

The conference has as its theme: "The HIV/AIDS Pandemic Challenges for the Ghanaian Scientist".

Prof. Amoah said the Commission was now serious than ever before, to establish a multi-sector and multi-disciplinary approach to getting Ghanaians better educated on the pandemic in order to achieve greater results.

He said the Commission had secured a 25-million-dollar funding from the World Bank for the reduction of the current prevalence of the disease among the youth by 30 percent by the year 2005.

He said a national strategic framework had been developed by the Commission on the implementation of HIV/AIDS programmes in the country. Dr. Osei Akwasi Mubarack of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, appealed to the government to invest in research into how plant medicine could be used in curing the pandemic.