{"id":184568,"date":"2016-01-26T09:20:33","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T09:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=184568"},"modified":"2016-01-26T09:20:33","modified_gmt":"2016-01-26T09:20:33","slug":"free-condom-distribution-reduced-hivaids-rate-mp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=184568","title":{"rendered":"Free condom distribution reduced HIV\/AIDS rate\u2013 MP"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Member of Parliament for Salaga and Ranking Member on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Ibrahim Dey Abubakari, has defended government’s\u00a0decision to spend over GHc1 million<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to supply free male condoms to some Ghanaians.<\/p>\n

He argues that the free condom distribution was a wise decision because it has contributed to a decline in Ghana’s HIV\/AIDS prevalence rate.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrevention is better than cure. Don\u2019t you see that the percentage of infection of AIDS has reduced in the country; don\u2019t you see that the supply of condoms has contributed to this? So if you tell me that the supply of condoms is for pleasure, I beg to differ; because it has succeeded in preventing a lot of venereal diseases that the government would have spent money to cure in the hospital,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

[contextly_sidebar id=”4XICt0Y9Lb3jkBPUWEBaolSWsT6BQfxv”]The PAC on Monday grilled officials<\/a><\/strong><\/span> from the Ministry of Health for spending the colossal\u00a0amount to distribute free condoms in a bid to curb HIV\/AIDS in the country.<\/p>\n

The Chairman of the PAC, Kwaku Agyemang, expressed surprise at the expenditure saying, “I want to be educated because I wonder why a huge sum of GHc1, 450,000 will be spent on male condoms as if we are sponsoring people\u2019s pleasures\u2026why should such an expenditure be part of your budget?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u00a0turned out that the amount was funded by donor partners but some Ghanaians including the MP for the Abuakwa South constituency, Atta Kyea described the expenditure\u00a0as \u201cirresponsible<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n

But speaking on Eyewitness News<\/strong>, Ibrahim Dey Abukabakar reiterated that the condoms were funded by donor partners and not by the Ghanaian tax payer, adding that government only requested for the package.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t buy the condoms, it was provided by donor partners, all that we needed to do was to request for it. In the first place, government didn\u2019t spend a penny on the condoms\u2026so I don\u2019t know the reason why we shouldn\u2019t accept it.”<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you say that it was not used judiciously, or the mode of supplying the condoms was not good that one we can take it; but if you say that they were not necessary and productive, I beg to differ,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n

Ibrahim Abubakar insisted that the move was good\u00a0because it safeguarded the tax payers\u2019 wallet because the amount of money that would have been spent on importing more anti-retroviral drugs to treat AIDS patients, was used in developing other sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n

Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, John Alexander Ackon, announced last year that\u00a0 Ghana\u2019s HIV\/AIDS prevalence rate continues to decline<\/a><\/strong><\/span> and currently stands at 1.37 percent, while the number of women living with HIV\/AIDS is 57 percent compared to 43 percent for men.<\/p>\n

According to him, the rate of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Ghana, has also steadily reduced since 2000 to just over half the number; from 740 deaths per 100,000 live births to 350 in 2014.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: Godwin A. Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n

Follow @AlloteyGodwin<\/a>
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