Ofoase-Kokoben (Ash), Dec 16, GNA - Government has been asked to immediately address the shortage of anti-retroviral drugs in some health facilities in the country.

Mrs Diana Bebere, President of Ghana NAP+ Women's Wing, an association of People Living with HIV-AIDS (PLWHA), who made the appealed said the scarcity of the drugs was hastening the death of PLWHA. He claimed that seven of PLWHA, put on the drugs, recently died in the Kintampo area because of shortage of the drugs at the Kintampo Hospital. Mrs Bebere was addressing a two-day leadership training workshop for representatives of the group from each of the 10 regions in the country, at Ofoase-Kokoben near Kumasi.

It was to encourage more people to go for voluntary counseling and testing to know their HIV status.

Mrs Bebere said without the drugs, there was little hope for PLWHA to survive and appealed to government and donors to come to their aid. An Assistant Co-ordinator of HIV/AIDS Programmes, Obuasi Catholic Diocese, Mrs Kate Boakye called on the public to refrain from stigmatising and discriminating against PLWHA to enable them to declare their health status. 16 Dec. 09