In Ghana with (RED), Part 2

Rocky Dawuni with Dr. Patrick Bampo, HIV Coordinator and Medical Director in the Consulting Room of the Global Fund clinic of Tamale Central Hospital

Here's the second installment of our friend Rocky Dawuni's Ghana trip -- he visited more people who are fighting HIV/AIDS on the ground, with the help of Global Fund-(RED) money. Thanks, Rocky!

Click here to read Rocky's earlier posts on (BLOG) RED. --bn

Mr. Sarpong, NACP publicist, Kojo Asante and I arrived at the Kotoka International Airport early in the morning for our flight to Tamale, the capital of the Northern region of Ghana with a population of over 305,000 people. Our direct flight ended up being cancelled so we took another flight to Sunyani, a major city four hours from Tamale. We then traveled by road the rest of the way.

Our first meeting on arrival was with Dr. Patrick Bampo, the medical director of the Tamale Central Hospital and HIV coordinator for the Northern Region of Ghana and his team. Dr. Bampo explained that the Northern Region at 1.2% has the lowest HIV prevalence in Ghana. He attributed this to a comprehensive campaign of awareness on one hand and remoteness of parts of the north which impacts proper data gathering.

There are currently six Global Fund Antiretroviral Treatment Centers for the dispensing of ARVs in the entire Northern Region. The region also has six CD4 machines for testing and monitoring clients located in various hospitals. The Global Fund facility of the Tamale Central Hospital was a spacious and brightly lit room with three consultation rooms. It was also designed in such a way as to ensure privacy of the clients. Most of the clients who received treatment and counseling at this particular clinic were pregnant women. It is especially important that pregnant women be monitored and treated to lessen the possibility of mother-to-child transmissions.

We also visited an adjoining old ward that was in the process of being refurbished with new beds, showers to accommodate clients as well as a newly equipped laboratory.

From the Central Hospital we paid a courtesy call to the office of the Regional Administration where we were given a rousing welcome. I had worked with most of them earlier in the year on a UNICEF and Carter Foundation assisted campaign for behavioral change on clean water use and guinea worm prevention.

Our final visit was to the Tamale Teaching Hospital where Dr. Bampo showed us other Global Fund/(RED) supported laboratories, consulting rooms and ART centers. He stressed how the consultation, treatment and counseling rooms for HIV/AIDs were integrated with that of other diseases to prevent the issue of stigma and isolation.

Back in Accra I was pleased with the results of the efforts of the NACP in implementing
the Global Fund-(RED) initiatives as well as the dedication of the medical personnel on the ground doing all the hard work. My commendations to all the great people around the world who are supporting (RED) products and companies and strengthening the hands of the Global Fund to reach this far.

Rocky with a counselor at Tamale Hospital

Being briefed on the Laboratory of the Tamale Teaching Hospital

Briefing a pressman from the Ghana News Agency in Tamale

Global Fund-refurbished consulting room in Tamale Regional Hospital

Inspecting the newly refurbished lab with a CD4 machine with Dr. Patrick Bampo, HIV Coordinator and Medical Director of Tamale Central Hospital

Meeting with community leaders from various departments in the Northern region and explaining (RED)'s efforts. Rocky is with Mr. Deri of the the National Guinea Worm campaign who he worked with earlier in the year on a UNICEF clean water campaign