NAHSAG JOINS TO CELEBRATE WORLD AIDS DAY (1ST DECEMBER, 2015)

NAHSAG JOINS TO CELEBRATE WORLD AIDS DAY (1ST DECEMBER, 2015)

It is noteworthy that today marks WORLD AIDS day, and the National Health Students' Association of Ghana (NAHSAG), future stakeholders of the health sector, join in the celebration with her formidable and united front to combat this deadly disease.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “GETTING TO ZERO” thus zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. It is a day for taking stock of the challenges that humanity have faced and is still facing because of HIV/AIDS, and for celebrating our successes in supporting the people affected by the pandemic. World AIDS Day is also a day when we make a firm commitment to sustain the achievements of the past decades, and do more and better to reach further for the eventual victory over HIV/AIDS.

We have lived with this pandemic for more than three decades. We have seen the high death toll, dislocation of many families, the reduced life spans in hard-hit countries, the increase in child mortality and the millions of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. We have also seen the pain suffered by people who are stigmatized and discriminated against because of their HIV-positive status, and hence excluded from accessing the support, care and treatment services they so desperately need.
HIV/AIDS as a global pandemic has brought immense devastation around the world. Statistically, 1.2 million people worldwide died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2014. By the end of 2014, an estimated 36.9 million people around the world were living with HIV according to UNAIDS.

Not only is HIV/AIDS an impediment to development but it renders affected individuals and their communities vulnerable. HIV/ AIDS is a health, social and economic problem that should be of concern to all and sundry.
Though incurable, several efforts have been made to find not lasting but sustaining solutions to this disheartening disease in the form of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) to lengthen the life of those who unfortunately have the disease and to give the requisite information that the average individual needs to obviate any acts that may result in acquiring HIV/AIDS. In addition, humanity has also worked hard to address the pandemic and find ways to ease this suffering.

The biomedical discoveries, the global efforts in making available unprecedented funds and the expansion of preventive, treatment, care and support services to millions affected by HIV/AIDS have improved the quality of life and stabilized the pandemic in many countries. Antiretroviral treatment is now available to all who need it.
Though prevention messages have been expanded to the level needed, however, people living with HIV are still discriminated against. Many governments have not yet put in place supportive policies for implementation of harm reduction programs for injecting drug users. There are many more tasks we need to do.
We hear of many encouraging scientific advances, for example, that properly administered antiretroviral treatment can effectively prevent HIV infection, and there is immediate hope of finding a therapy to eradicate HIV from an infected person’s body. We look forward to seeing a day full of hope and smiles on the faces of families and friends stigmatized by this deadly disease.

These achievements and progress must not be halted by economic uncertainty created by the financial crisis of our dear country. NAHSAG therefore, strongly calls on all organizations (local and international) to do all possible to fund global HIV programs to ensure the sustainability of the gains of the past decades, and intensify future efforts to stop the pandemic. NAHSAG fully supports the UNAIDS vision of achieving zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination by 2015.  In view of this, our role as NAHSAG and stakeholders of the health sector is to combat the stigma and discrimination, and protect the rights and entitlement of people living with this incurable disease. 

Each member of this renowned association today is being charged to be an advocate and ambassador in his/her pursuit as a way of contributing to making the commemoration of today’s HIV/AIDS day a success.       
NAHSAG this day urges all potential health providers and health professionals to minimise the incidence of HIV/AIDS; as it is epochal and prudent for us to prevent rather than add to the rise in incidence.
It is in the light of this that NAHSAG will concur with Bill Clinton that, “we live in a completely interdependent world, which simply means we cannot escape from each other”. How we respond to AIDS depends, in part, on whether we understand this interdependence. It is not someone else’s problem. This is everybody’s problem”.
Let us hasten to add that still HIV is transmitted through blood and blood products; that

AIDS IS REAL; and hence BE WISE; BE SMART; ABSTAIN; AND PROTECT YOURSELF.
Long Live the Health Student!
Long Live NAHSAG!!
Long Live Ghana!!!
THANK YOU.

Signed:
Sampson Kafui Djonor
General Secretary

Frank Amoakohene
President

Peter Adanu Worlasi
Public and Media Relations Officer