Five PLWHAs to get house lots next month

Jan 09, 2009 News

– Dr Shanti Singh

Although intense scrutiny will have to be engaged to ensure their eligibility, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Housing Ministry is prepared to award another five Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) with their own house lots, lottery-style.
Head of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Dr Shanti Singh, revealed this during a brief interview with this newspaper yesterday.
It was almost two years ago that the government ministries with support from a Ministry of Health World Bank Project had conceptualised and brought the lottery house lot project into being as a special initiative. The venture also garnered support from USAID/GHARP.
At the conclusion of the project, five well-deserving PLWHAs were selected and were afforded the house lots, compliments of the Housing Ministry.
Additionally, collaboration with humanitarian organisations, Food for the Poor and Habitat for Humanity, facilitated the construction of houses for the awardees.
But according to Dr Singh, identifying the awardees was no easy task since a lengthy verification process was essential to ensure that persons fully fit the recommended criteria for the house lots.
In order for persons to be awarded, their HIV/AIDS status must be verified and proven to be positive. In addition eligible persons must be a single parent, cannot be the owner of a home neither have applied for a house lot at the Housing Ministry before. Their employment status was also scrutinised, Dr Singh related.
And so relevant was the scrutinising process, the doctor noted, since it was instrumental in detecting that one of the selected awardees had in fact provided false information which allowed for another PLWHA to be awarded the house lot instead, Dr Singh said.
According to Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, at the first drawing several of the applicants met the necessary requirements but all could not benefit, given the limited number of lots available.
The Minister added, too, that was because it was an impossible task to choose which applicants have the greater need, the decision was taken to select persons through the lottery mode.
The selected applicants were awarded lots in various housing schemes around the country.
It was disclosed by Minister Ramsammy that the innovative venture came as part of the Health Ministry’s 2003/2007 National Strategy, which was geared at transforming the national HIV/AIDS response to that of a multi-sectoral one.
After evaluating the venture at its conclusion, Dr Singh noted that it was found to be worthwhile, thus efforts were made to embark on a second such project this year.
Advertisements of the new project, according to Dr Singh, were displayed primarily at the various treatment sites, particularly at those closest to possible house lot locations.
And several applications have already been received as part of the initiative.
Dr Singh disclosed that after the intense scrutinising process is completed, five PLWHAs will again be selected lottery style for house lots.
And according to the doctor, it is anticipated that the drawing will be undertaken by mid next month.

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