‘Everyone has the Right to Equal Health Opportunities.’
This #WorldAIDSDay, GFAN Speaker Priscilla Ama Addo sat down with Peter Wiessner, Action Against AIDS Germany to shed light on the urgent need for health equity in the face of rising challenges, especially in countries like Ghana. As international protests fade, the struggles of the queer community intensify, and life-saving HIV care remains out of reach for too many. Through its partnership with passionate advocates like Priscilla, the Global Fund is standing strong to break down these barriers and ensure no one is left behind. Read on to learn how the fight for health, dignity, and equality continues—fuelled by the resilience of young leaders who refuse to be silenced.
Ghana’s healthcare is under threat – especially for people living with HIV. The government is responsible for this, says Priscilla Ama Addo. A new law targeting the LGBTQIA+ community threatens to exacerbate the situation, as the young activist explains in an interview for Action Against AIDS.
In recent years, people living with HIV in Ghana have repeatedly faced shortages of vital medicines. This happened again in March 2024, and HIV healthcare facilities waited in vain for additional supplies. Patients were forced to reduce their medication doses or share their limited supplies with others. This is particularly concerning as interrupting treatment can lead to resistance. The cause of this bottleneck was self-inflicted: Ghana’s healthcare bureaucracy is so complicated and costly that imported medicines were stuck at the harbor for weeks.
Although the situation has eased again, Priscilla Ama Addo is outraged. Above all, however, this incident is symptomatic for the activist. ‘Our government is not affected by HIV itself, which is why it is not interested in the concerns of people with HIV’ says Addo.
The HIV prevalence rate among women is twice as high as among men
‘The people in charge don’t seem to understand how important the medication is for those affected and how dangerous it is to interrupt treatment,’ says Priscilla Ama Addo, who is HIV-positive herself. ‘That’s why we have to make our voices heard and, if necessary, take it to the streets.’
She is not only combative but also energetic. Addo is passionately committed to the needs of young women and young people living with HIV in Ghana – including as an employee of Hope for Future Generations, a community-based non-governmental organization that campaigns for the needs of women, children and girls in the country. She is also the President of Young Health Advocates Ghana, a youth-led network for young people living with HIV/Aids with over 700 members nationwide, and a speaker of the Global Funds Advocates Network.
There are large inequalities in the care of people with HIV in Ghana. For instance, laboratory tests necessary for HIV treatment are subsidized only for some specific groups. Young people cannot afford all laboratory tests. ‘This problem doesn’t just affect people with HIV, but also other patients,’ says Addo. ‘If people have to go without treatment medication because they simply can’t afford it, this is a violation of human rights.’ Addo emphasizes that everyone should receive first-class medical care – regardless of their financial situation, their sexual orientation, their gender, their political or religious beliefs, or the region in which they live.
A new anti-gay law threatens healthcare.
Priscilla mentions sexual orientation for a reason. An anti-LGBTQIA+ law passed by the Ghanaian parliament in February 2024 threatens queer people with even harsher prison sentences than before. Anyone who belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community or has sex with people of the same gender can be punished with three years in prison. And anyone who publicly campaigns for the community’s interests can be sentenced to ten years in prison. Specifically, the law aims to criminalize any promotion of educational, health and legal services that support LGBTQIA+ people in overcoming the health and social consequences of stigmatization, discrimination and violence – in other words, all organizations that campaign for the rights of queer people or offer health services.
‘This means that our years of efforts to provide people with prevention and healthcare free from stigmatization and discrimination are now also at risk,’ says Addo, describing the impact of the new legal situation. People have a right to health, but the law is massively violating this.
While the bill still awaits ratification by President Nana Akufo-Addo, this is widely anticipated to occur after the December elections. In the meantime, the situation for the queer community has already deteriorated dramatically. There are repeated raids on bars and establishments. Activists are being arrested, and fear is spreading. “Some LGBTQIA+ people are even outed, rejected, and publicly. They must fear for their lives. The new law means that even an unproven accusation is enough to destroy their existence.’
Intensified prosecution and pogrom atmosphere
The intensified criminal prosecution and pogrom atmosphere, particularly against gay men, also make prevention for this group virtually impossible.
Fear has driven many young queer people, particularly those living with HIV, away from healthcare facilities. ‘The fear of coming out is too great!’ says Addo. The law also provides for the LGBTQIA+ community to be denied healthcare services, including HIV medication.
The international protests against the proposed law have largely died down. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), has also pointed out the far-reaching consequences. The law would also impede the fight against AIDS: ‘If it comes into force, it will restrict access to life-saving services, curtail social protection and jeopardize Ghana’s development success.’
Ghana is not an isolated case in this respect. In Byanyima’s home country of Uganda, a new, draconian anti-homosexuality law came into force in 2023.
There, ‘aggravated homosexuality’ is even punishable by death. Individuals or groups who stand up for homosexuals can be punished with up to 20 years in prison.
According to a global survey by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA), almost half of all countries in that legally persecute homosexuality are in Africa. According to the report by the global umbrella organization of LGBTQIA+ organizations, same-sex relationships are only legal in 23 out of 54 African countries. In most African countries, laws against LGBTQIA+ rights date back to the colonial era. They have shaped society’s hostile attitude towards sexual minorities for over two centuries so that they have been branded as criminals for many generations.
These laws were often not changed after the countries gained their independence. On the contrary, Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals have reinforced anti-gay attitudes in society. In many places, right-wing American churches wield significant lobbying power.
‘If these laws and measures remain in place, the lives of queer people will be jeopardized because life-saving treatments and services will no longer be accessible to them,’ warns Priscilla Ama Addo.
Denying healthcare to specific population groups is not only an important injustice but also a dangerous threat to public health.
Community-based projects are the key to combating HIV.
Ghana’s significant reduction in HIV infections in recent decades can be largely credited to the development and maintenance of healthcare services for HIV patients. This sustainable progress was supported by funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. In rural areas especially, this support has enabled greater access to life-saving treatments. Equally crucial, it has ensured the uninterrupted availability of essential medications throughout the year. Many of my friends and I also benefit from this,’ says Priscilla Ama Addo. ‘These successes show that the work of the Global Fund is effective and impactful. Every euro, every dollar is well invested and saves lives.’
The Country Coordinating Mechanism is the essential link between local and regional organizations and the Global Fund. It comprises national committees responsible for submitting funding applications to the Global Fund and overseeing the grants for their respective countries. Addo has already had significant personal experience with Ghana’s national committee, and she is convinced that this process enables communities to get directly involved in and lead measures to combat HIV.
She wishes for more young people to assume leadership roles in the future. Addo believes that eliminating AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 cannot happen without their involvement ‘We need to recognize that young people have the necessary strength and power to take on such leadership roles and thus bring about change. But we must give them the opportunities to do so.’
Text: Axel Schock
Interview: Priyanka Ayer, Global Fund Advocates Network, and Peter Wiessner, Action against AIDS Germany
Editor: Ghita Zaoui, Global Fund Advocates Network
Photos: Pricilla Amo Addo, Peter Wiessner
Contact: info@aids-kampagne.de