A two week Counselling workshop for Health professionals in GBCA member companies has just ended at three training centres in Accra. The training program took place between the 1st and 13th June 2009. Participants came from Accra, Kumasi, Tafo and Tema.
In the spirit of a Public Private Partnership (PPP), the National AIDS Control Program of the Ghana Health Service provided the funding and technical expertise for the training program. In all 60 particpants from GBCA member companies were trained in key counselling concepts and aspects of service management.
The participants had the opportunity to express their concerns about implementation issues. Chief among these concerns were the lack of infrastructure at their workplaces for effective counselling. The root causes of the problem were traced to the absence of a finctional Workplace HIV Committee or focal person in the affected locations. It was emphasised the basics of an HIV Committee and a Company Policy should be in place to enable interventions to start on a good note and to be sufficiently supported.
The GBCA promised to respond to any invitation to undertake an appraisal of site specific structures and management arrangements for Counselling and testing. The Program Director encouraged participants to include innovative, interactive activities, such as drama and puppetry as part of their sensitsation sessions with workers. The GBCA would be available to seek technical assistance for this.
The participants were all highly appreciative of the program and its organisation. |
