Promoting access to and use of Voluntary Counseling and Testing and Antiretroviral Therapy among people living with AIDS in Ghana

The objective of this research programme is to investigate in depth some of the key issues that inhibit people in Ghana from taking up services of Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), both from the supply side and from the demand side. Most of the research takes place in the Ashanti Region, the most heavily populated region of Ghana with around 4 million people. Sentinel sero-surveillance conducted among antenatal attendants in the area has shown an increase in HIV prevalence from 2.7 percent in 2000 to 4.4 percent in 2003, the second highest rate in the country. The central research question is: How can uptake of VCT and ART be increased in Ashanti region specifically, and more generally in the rest of Ghana?

The programme consists of three interrelated research projects. Project A will be carried out in two medical institutions involved in VCTand ART, and will investigate how conditions in those institutions influence uptake of VCT and ART. Project B will be conducted in communities served by the above medical institutions and will research the clients’ points of view regarding VCT and ART and the way they are offered to them through the medical channels. Social and cultural perceptions of blame, shame and stigma will take a central place in the research. Project C, finally, will synthesise the findings of above two projects, relate them to district, national and international policies and translate them into practical recommendations to policy-makers.

The study will shed light on how the above-mentioned services affect people’s perceptions of and behaviour towards HIV/AIDS. One of the assumptions is that the growing availability of antiretroviral medicines may decrease the stigma of HIV/AIDS and make people more interested in voluntary counselling and testing. The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods, takes a multidisciplinary approach and has a multi-stakeholder perspective, comparing and contrasting interests and views of different actors in the management of HIV/AIDS.