The Ghana AIDS Commission has announced plans to install condom vending machines at strategic locations around the country.
Speaking at the commemoration of the first International Condom Day in Accra on Friday, the Director General of the Commission, Dr Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong, said that this planned rollout is meant to reduce the stigma around the use of condoms among the citizenry.
He noted that the installation of these machines is not new, but due to condom theft and vandalism of the machines, the Commission is going to work with national security and other bodies like the Ghana Private Road transport Union (GPRTU) to ensure a smooth rollout this time.
The Commission plans to install these devices in places like lorry parks and university campuses where there is a high population density to ensure the effectiveness of these machines, and ensure that the constant flow of people in these places serves as a deterrent to would-be thieves and vandals.
Dr Akanbong stated that apart from condoms, the Commission is looking to also deploy rapid HIV test kits to ensure that persons who want to test for their HIV status can do so privately.
He disclosed that the GAC is currently looking at ways of ensuring that these new machines are not abused by tying their use to either fingerprints or the Ghana card to ensure that people do not hoard the condoms that they will be stocked with.
This mechanism will also enable the commission track condom usage in the country.
He lamented the low condom usage statistics in the country, noting that only about 11 and 12 per cent of men and women use them respectively.
Country Programme Manager of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Dr Efua Houphouet, said the commemoration of International Condom Day is a reminder to all that “condoms are effective and safe.”
“This day serves as a reminder to people to protect themselves. We need to protect the gains we have made over the years. WE are currently seeing a disturbing upsurge in STI infections,” she said.
Condoms remain one of the most cost effective ways to prevent STIs. Investing inn condoms today will prevent far greater costs in the future,” she reminded.
Dr Houphouet called for state and private collaboration to curb the rising tide of infections and ensure stigma-free condom usage, noting that “we cannot curb rising STI numbers without condoms at the centre of the strategy.”
The Programme Specialist at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Bright Dela Gle, called for more equitable access to condoms, regardless of location.
She expressed extreme worry over the highnumber of teenage pregnancies recorded in the country annually, a situation that highlights the enormity of the task the GAC and its partners have to deal with.
She said, “More must be done to reverse the statistics. Condoms are the only effective tool against infections.”
The Programme Manager of the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NACP), Dr Emmanuel Teviu, called for effort to increase the prevention of HIV among adolescents and young people, stating that new infections among young people is one of the highest in the country.
