A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday said “her confession now further exonerates the GAC of any wrongdoing in relation to her eligibility to have participated in the Heart to Heart Campaign”.
The statement said in 2011, the Commission embarked on a campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination suffered by persons living with HIV in order to provide a human face to HIV.
It said it initiated the “Heart to Heart” Campaign with three persons living with HIV, including Ms Joyce Mensah, who claimed in December 2014 to be HIV negative.
The statement said “the key requirements for “Heart to Heart” Ambassador duty, was for the person to be HIV positive, and on treatment. The person should also have been a voluntary advocate on HIV-related issues in their communities with a focus on HIV prevention, treatment and reduction of stigma and discrimination”.
It said the evidence of their HIV status was documented at various health centres and additionally, they were all registered members of NAP+ Ghana, the Network of Persons Living with HIV.
The statement said these individuals were extensively engaged by legal, psycho-social and communication consultants prior to their going public.
It said Ms Mensah has been a member of NAP+ Ghana since 2007 and she was recruited as one of the Ambassadors at the start of the campaign specifically to promote HIV messages in the area of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV.
The statement noted that she signed a contract with the Ghana AIDS Commission in August 2011 and on November 12, 2012, GAC formally terminated the contract on account of breach of her terms of contract.
It said even though she failed to respond to GAC for full exit debrief, she continued to enjoy the safe shelter provided for her as a Heart-to-Heart Ambassador (even after termination of her contract by the GAC) until August 2014, when the lease expired.
The statement said Ms Mensah subsequently went public to deny her HIV status calling into question the integrity of GAC by claiming that GAC had used a non-HIV person for its HIV campaign.
It said by this she alleging fraud on the part of GAC turning the donor community and other partners against GAC, leading to months of investigations.
The statement said Ms Mensah claimed she has been deprived of compensation due her but GAC has not received a petition from her requesting payment of any compensation allegedly due her and advised her to formally submit a petition to GAC for consideration.
GNA
