Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
US Ambassador gives Guyana kudos for PEPFAR programme
By Melanie Allicock
Ambassador Jones being escorted in Kaieteur News during a visit yesterday
United States Ambassador to Guyana, John Jones, has lauded the local programme of the President Bush Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and has pledged continued support.
Describing it as ‘very successful and one that he is proud of”, the ambassador, in an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News yesterday, commended all the partners involved for “working hard to ensure such positive outcomes in the HIV/AIDS fight.”
Describing the PEPFAR initiative as one that is close to his heart, Mr. Jones said much of the ten days that he has been in Guyana was spent dealing with issues surrounding the programme.
“I am very proud of USAID, the Peace Corps, CDC and the local health authorities for the work they have been doing…They are all very active and have been making a major effort, and I am very proud of them, for we have been seeing the successes of that hard work…”
Ambassador Jones pledged his commitment to expanding and continuing the programme as long as resources allow.
“As long as we have the resources, we will ensure that it reaches those who need it here…Working with partners and donors and every element of the embassy community, we will make sure the programme continues.”
In this regard, he mentioned the CDC launch of a $40B hinterland initiative on Thursday, in which approximately US$150,000 is likely to be expended over the next year as part of PEPFAR in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
Guyana is one of PEPFAR’s 15 focus countries, which collectively represent approximately 50 percent of HIV infections worldwide.
Under PEPFAR, Guyana received more than $12M in 2004, nearly $19.4M in 2005, more than $21.7M in 2006, and $28.4M in 2007 to support comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programmes.
PEPFAR is providing $23.8 million in 2008.
Recognising the global HIV/AIDS pandemic as one of the greatest health challenges of this time, President George W. Bush announced the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003 — the largest international health initiative in history by one nation to address a single disease.
Between 1988 and 2000, the Government of Guyana was the main source of financial support for local HIV/AIDS programmes. Since then, external funding, principally from PEPFAR, has surpassed domestic sources of funding by approximately 50 percent.
The U.S. Government’s response under PEPFAR in Guyana aligns closely with the nation’s own response to the epidemic, and focuses on prevention, Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy told Kaieteur News recently.
Key PEPFAR-supported activities include strengthening the surveillance system, to produce information to inform the design of interventions for HIV prevention and care programmes;
reducing the risk of, and vulnerability to, HIV infection through targeted prevention services among high-risk populations; supporting a network of non-governmental community-based and faith-based organisations across the country, to provide prevention and care services; supporting the expansion of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, counseling, testing, and treatment services; training health providers in prevention, treatment and care, to ensure successful scale-up and improvement of services; procuring pharmaceuticals and medical supplies;
strengthening Government’s supply chain management system; supporting the construction of the national reference laboratory at the GPHC, to support HIV/AIDS treatment and care; as well as reducing the transmission of HIV and other blood-borne diseases through safer medical injection and waste management practices, and by strengthening the National Blood Transfusion Services.
Through the PEPFAR initiative, some 2000 individuals were receiving antiretroviral treatment as of March of this year.
Some 4,000 persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) also received care and support, and 900 orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) were served by an OVC programme.
A further 35,000 pregnant women have received HIV counselling and testing services for PMTCT since the beginning of the PEPFAR programme, while 462 HIV-positive pregnant women have received antiretroviral prophylaxis for PMTCT.
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