Sam George takes on Ghana AIDS Commission over lubricant distribution to MSM: ‘That’s not public health, that’s promoting the behaviour.
Samuel Nartey George, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation and the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, has criticized the Ghana AIDS Commission for giving lubricants to men who have sex with men. He questioned the public health reasons for doing this. His remarks were made during a debate in Parliament on the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, which is still being talked about. Mr. George, the bill’s main sponsor, said that these kinds of actions go against the Commission’s job to fight HIV and that resources should be used for other health care needs instead. He also questioned the harm-reduction argument for the distribution, saying that it could make the behavior worse, and he called for public health funding to be redirected to areas like maternal healthcare and hospital infrastructure. The Ghana AIDS Commission has not yet responded to the comments. Public health experts have said in the past that targeted interventions for high-risk groups are a part of larger strategies to stop the spread of HIV.
