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Ms. Joana Anorkor Lartey, the Tuberculosis and HIV Coordinator of the Directorate, conveyed these findings in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
Analyzing the statistics, the data disclosed 297 male and 486 female HIV cases in 2023, in contrast to the 263 male and 340 female cases reported the previous year.
Ms. Lartey credited the rise to the effectiveness of numerous free testing programs implemented by her team across communities, instrumental in identifying cases that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Out of the 2023 HIV cases, 757 individuals were successfully linked to care within the same year.
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Ms. Lartey urged the public to make use of screening opportunities to determine their HIV status and pointed out the availability of free self-test kits at various facilities for those opting for personal testing.
Emphasizing that awareness of one's HIV status was not a death sentence but rather an opportunity for early treatment, Ms. Lartey stressed the importance of swift intervention for those testing positive.
Regarding Tuberculosis (TB), Ms. Lartey revealed that the metropolis recorded 154 cases in 2023, including 47 pediatric TB cases.
Among these, 129 were presumptive TB cases identified among Out-Patient Department (OPD) attendees, with 47 confirmed positive cases.
Despite achieving numerous objectives for the year, such as community awareness campaigns and intensified case finding through screenings and home visits, the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate encountered challenges.
These challenges included funding shortages for monitoring and supervision, staff motivation issues, and delayed report submissions.