By Wroinbee Elton Tiah LINA Grand Bassa County Correspondent
BUCHANAN, March 27 (LINA) – The National AIDS Control Program (NACP) of the Ministry of Health with support from Evidence Action has graduated and certificated healthcare professionals from Grand Bassa County following their successful participation in the Syphilis-Free Start program.
The certification ceremony was held in the Port City of Buchanan Grand Bassa County and the county became the first in Liberia to graduate Master Trainers for Syphilis Screenings.
These trainers are expected to facilitate along with other healthcare providers the rollout of HIV/syphilis dual tests for pregnant women and their sexual partners, strengthening efforts to eliminate the spread of HIV/syphilis across the country.
The team conducted onsite sessions across all healthcare facilities in Grand Bassa that offer antenatal care (ANC) and HIV testing services. The dual test has replaced the HIV-only test as the first-line screening method for pregnant women.
This initiative aims to increase syphilis testing rates to match those of HIV, leveraging the National AIDS Control Program’s focus on prioritizing HIV/syphilis screening among pregnant women.
The goal of the program is to achieve 80% coverage in testing and treatment among prenatal care attendees within five years. In a brief remark, Stephen E. James of the Community Health Department expressed gratitude to Evidence Action for its continued support of the National AIDS Control Program and its efforts toward creating an HIV-free environment in Liberia.
“We are very excited about the steps taken by Evidence Action to support Grand Bassa County. I remember when they first informed us about providing syphilis testing for pregnant women at our various facilities. Not only did they fulfill that promise, but they also selected two of our staff members to be trained as trainers, and today, they are graduating. Since the training, Grand Bassa has been performing exceptionally well in the testing program, and for that, I appreciate your efforts,” Mr. James stated.
Additionally, Grand Bassa County was recognized and certificated for its outstanding performance indicators at the national level. The county has achieved 100% syphilis screening coverage and 99% treatment coverage among trained facilities.
Furthermore, there have been no stockouts of dual tests at healthcare facilities, and all facilities have been consistently reporting their data. MOH will ensure syphilis is integrated into routine work and is actively working to ensure that syphilis indicators are integrated into the JISS tool for routine monitoring.
