Chest Society moves to expand aid to TB victims

Feb 21, 2009 News

As part of its efforts to render assistance to the less fortunate of the society, the Guyana Chest Society, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has been offering support to scores of persons, primarily those co-infected with Tuberculosis and HIV.
However, with additional assistance whether in cash or kind, Secretary of the entity, Romona Persaud, is optimistic that the society will be able to expand its services this year.
According to Persaud, the entity has for the past five years been rendering its humanitarian service with financial and other support from donor organisations, such as Global Fund and Food For the Poor Guyana Inc., both of which have been very supportive over the past year. Finances to maintain the entity are also sourced through regular fund-raising activities, Persaud said.
She explained that in order for infected persons to garner assistance certain basic information about them is required to determine their level of poverty and vulnerability, from which the level of assistance is ascertained.
Member of the society, Compton Giddings, said that TB-infected and co-infected persons are sought out in the community, adding that infected persons are often homeless and unemployed. He noted, too, that they are also in many instances stigmatised and discriminated against.
But, according to Persaud, most of the recipients of the assistance are normally filtered from the GPHC Chest Clinic and, once they are found to be eligible, they are provided with monthly food hampers and a meal Monday through Friday. About 20 persons are aided on a monthly basis, Persaud noted. The members of the society are hopeful that the current donor agencies will increase their assistance to the entity, even as they anticipate additional support to be able to feed more persons.
The ambitious expectations of the entity are rooted in the revelation of a study carried out by the Canadian Society for International Health, which established that infected persons who were provided with meals responded better to treatment administered to them by the Chest Clinic.
It was deduced that the meals provided were the most fulfilling benefit that the patients were afforded, thus emphasising the importance of sustaining the feeding drive.
And, with the nearing of World TB day which will be observed next month (March 24), Persaud said that the Chest Society will be directing much attention toward raising awareness about Tuberculosis, which is in fact a curable disease.

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