United States Ambassador Stephanie Sullivan visits JSI-supported Antiretroviral Therapy Center in Ghana
September 9th, 2021 | event
On August 24, 2021, U.S. Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan visited the antiretroviral treatment (ART) center at Ghana’s Essikado Hospital with representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, USAID, and JSI’s USAID-supported Strengthening the Care Continuum project. The Care Continuum project provides critical support to strengthen Essikado Hospital’s HIV services.
Speaking to hospital management and staff, Ambassador Sullivan said, “Since October 2019, PEPFAR [the U.S. President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief] has made significant investments in the Western region’s health facilities, including [Essikado Hospital], to improve HIV care and treatment, supply chain and data management, laboratory systems, and viral load testing to support the region to achieve epidemic control. We hope the success you’ve achieved in your hospital and region will unlock opportunities for achieving epidemic control in other regions and at the national level.”
Essikado Hospital is a referral facility for surrounding health centers and private facilities. In October 2019, the Care Continuum Project assessed the hospital and identified areas needing improvement, including strengthening human resources and training and allocating space for HIV counseling services. In 2020, PEPFAR, through the Care Continuum, donated a modular office unit to the hospital. The unit is used as an HIV counseling and service delivery center. The Care Continuum provided air conditioning units, furniture, a refrigerator, and a television. The project also seconded a nurse assistant and a data officer to support ART services at the hospital.
