IT is a truism that a nation’s health is its wealth.
The quality of a nation’s workforce, its productivity and its capacity for hard and sustained work depend, to a great extent, on the state of health of its people.
Indeed, it has been universally acknowledged that the qualitative differences in health conditions between people of different nations contribute largely to differences in the magnitude of wealth created and thereby the standard of living of nations.
Given this important role of health in the lives of nations and people, it is no surprise that many governments the world over allocate a significant chunk of their budgetary resources to cater for the health needs of their people.
In Ghana, this has been the trend over the years, with resources for the health sector being either the single largest item or the second.
Most of these resources have, however, been devoted to the curative aspects of health where diseases ranging from malaria, cholera and dysentery to HIV/AIDS are tackled at various health facilities across the country.
Outside of malaria, which has been the most prevalent and pervasive disease in the country, HIV/AIDS has gained the most attention and resource mobilisation both locally and foreign.
Within a few years of its introduction into the country, it has grown into a pandemic, creating fear and panic in society and demanding an even greater share of national resources to contain.
Even as substantial sums of money are spent to procure medicines, including vaccines and anti-retroviral drugs to help combat the disease, additional sums are expended on organising workshops and mounting other forms of educational campaigns to help increase the level of awareness of the pandemic to help reduce it to manageable levels.
Notwithstanding the availability today of detailed knowledge of the disease and ways of avoiding it, there are still a good number of people who believe that they are somehow immune to it and, therefore, can do whatever they like with any sexual partner and still escape HIV/AIDS.
This lackadaisical attitude has, in no small way, contributed to the spread of the disease, which has claimed the lives of many who, otherwise, could have contributed more to wealth creation and a better life for this nation.
It is on account of developments such as these that we find timely and appropriate the call by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, on the occasion of World HIV/AIDS Day, on Ghanaians to endeavour to lead healthy lifestyles and refrain from reckless behaviour in order to lend a boost to the fight against the pandemic.
We also believe that one other way that society could be more helpful in the fight against the pandemic is changing our attitude of stigmatising those afflicted with the disease.
The scorn, discrimination and isolation meted out to those afflicted with the disease not only infringe on their fundamental rights and freedoms as citizens but also create and sustain a situation where many who may unknowingly be carrying the virus will be afraid to go for tests to determine their status on account of the fear of similar treatment.
Let us, therefore, treat victims of the disease like anyone of us in society and a better atmosphere will be created to enhance the crusade against it.
Additionally, we wish to urge the government, the private sector, the nation’s development partners and all stakeholders to pool resources towards increasing prevention, that is, reducing new cases, especially mother-to-child transmission and the common usage of shaving and blood transfusion instruments.
These interventions will help make important contributions to ensure a further reduction in the number of infected people and thereby save more lives to boost national development.
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