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Too many persons at risk for HIV/AIDS – Minister Ramsammy

Mar 16, 2010 News

– Behaviour change essential

People by nature are inclined to take risks, a development which has resulted in the death of many. This notion was recently amplified by Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, when he sought to address the importance of sustaining awareness efforts as it relates to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).
The Minister said that in spite of the high level of awareness and knowledge campaigns, behaviour change still lags behind. According to him, there are still too many persons that are engaged in activities that place them at direct risk for HIV and AIDS.
“This development must be seen as another call to duty. We have to ensure that we begin to do a more robust and effective job at ensuring that people use their knowledge to inform their behaviour.”
Based on information acquired by the Ministry, the Minister noted that there is a need for a more dedicated effort at changing people’s behaviour.
“People by nature take risks and we need to show them that when you take those risks you risk dying prematurely and you risk functional disability for the rest of your lives,” the Minister insisted.
According to him, the Biological Behavioural Surveillance Survey (BBSS) which has been utilised by the National AIDS Programme Secretariat has proven to be a very informative tool. The Minister further revealed his convictions that, “we have not made effective use of the information we have gathered from instruments such as BBSS.”
He said that he is sometimes appalled at the fact that a vast amount of resources are focused on areas that have experienced immense success while very little is directed to those that remain a huge threat.
He underscored that in Guyana and even further afield, many health facilities tend to latch on to new ideas and subjects rather than examine previously acquired information that can help to better guide the placement of resources.
It is the Minister’s expectation that efforts will be made locally to look at the results of the recently unveiled BBSS in the quest to improve the way resources and efforts are directed.
And this move is especially important, the Minister noted, as it will help to channel the behaviour of youths in the society. According to him, youths make up more than one third of the population and are in fact a group at risk.
“I have noted, globally, the huge focus on the most at risk groups (MARGs). We need to look at them…”
Moreover, he highlighted that every citizen is at some degree of risk. And this is certainly not an impossible task as according to the Minister, the public health sector has more than enough resources to fight HIV/AIDS.
“I would urge that we don’t just follow a path because of others. But I would urge that we address the fight against HIV from the Guyana perspective. I believe that we have the professionals, whether all are Guyanese or not…the partnership of professionals in Guyana right now can provide the leadership and the manpower.”
According to Dr Ramsammy, the sector is equipped with the relevant financial resources and has available to it essential scientific tools.
For this reason, the Minister asserted that the initial mandate of bringing HIV under control and reducing the impact of the disease can no longer be the mandate. “I believe that we have made sufficient progress that we have indeed brought HIV under some control and our mandate now must be elimination,” the Minister emphasised.

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