“We must end the stigma surrounding the people living with the HIV virus. They are our brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. They deserve our love and support not our judgement, fear or rejection,” she stated.

She made the call during a medical outreach programme organised by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) in partnership with the Office of the First Lady in Sunyani in the Bono Region. The free medical outreach programme aims to provide integrated health and wellness services to the public, with a focus on health education and preventive care.

Participants made up of school children drawn from the senior high schools, Nananom, students from Nursing and Midwifery Training College and the general public among others were tested for HIV, malaria, syphilis, TB, eye screening, breast examination and health education among others.

Mrs Mahama delivering her address noted that the health screening programme was not just important but an essential service to help bring health closer to the doorstep of the people. She described as alarming the number of Ghanaians currently living with the HIV virus emphasising the need for a collective effort through public education and sensitisation to reverse the spread of the disease.

She stressed the need for the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B in order to ensure healthy babies were born. Mrs Mahama urged the youth to be responsible for their lives, asking them to take their health seriously by taking advantage of health screening exercises to check their status.

The First Lady further stated that Ghana was committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat by the year 2030 saying, though an ambitious project it was achievable if all stakeholders play their role well.

The Director General, Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong said the outreach programme was conducted in the Bono Region because it was one of the areas in the country with high HIV prevalence. He said the region recorded a prevalent rate of 2.2 per cent in the 2024 national and subsequently national prevalent, a figure he noted, was higher than the national figure of 1.49 per cent.

He explained that “by focusing our efforts here we aim to raise public awareness, strengthen early detection and prevention services and make tangible contributions to the wellbeing of the people.”

The Dormaahene and president of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu who chaired the function, commended the First Lady and the GAC for the outreach programme in the region which would go a long way to create the needed awareness and prevention of the disease. He appealed to other stakeholders to join the crusade against the spread of the disease in order to safeguard the future of the country.