The Adolescent HIV Clinic at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has awarded some 30 children living with HIV for adhering to their medications. The Clinic is currently treating over 130 adolescents living with the disease.
 
The children are those born with the disease and have been taking the anti retroviral drugs from birth.
 
They are between the ages of 11 and 18 years. They received items including a Laptop and mobile phones. Coordinator of the event, Dr. Anthony Enimel says the programme seeks to encourage the teenagers to stick to their medication since they sometimes give up on them.
 
“We just want to motivate the adolescents to take their medication. It is not easy; some of them have been on medication as far as ten years, everyday. And if you don’t have something to motivate them, they are likely to stop. So this is something we want to do to generate natural competition among them because now they begin to see that somebody is actually appreciating the medication they are taking.
 
“It is in their best interest but they are adolescents; and managing adolescents can be difficult; so if you don’t have a way of getting them to take their medications they will give up. So those who did well, we selected, we are awarding them, so that they can continue and aim at maintaining the price, some will be competing, thinking that if I take it well, I am likely to win an award. So it is just to motivate them to adhere or take their medication”.