MOH, USAID engage stakeholders to examine Guyana HIV/AIDS response

Apr 22, 2011 News

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Having embarked on a trajectory of elimination, Guyana is unequivocally committed to the UNAIDS global commitment to zero new transmission, zero mother-to-child transmission, zero deaths from HIV and zero stigma and discrimination as it relates to HIV/AIDS.
This assertion was made by Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, as he addressed a gathering at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown, on Wednesday. The occasion was a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the findings of the HIV/AIDS Programme Sustainability Analysis Tool (HAPSAT), a venture which comes as a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health’s National AIDS Programme Secretariat and the Health Systems Strengthening programme (HS20/20), which is funded by USAID.
“We have already established, globally, the first milestone on this trajectory which is zero mother-to-child transmission by 2015. That is no longer a goal that Guyana stands alone with, this has become a global pact.”
Minister Ramsammy noted that during the past week the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) was instrumental in committing the Caribbean to this goal, a move which is being supported by the Global Health Initiative.
The Minister said that a decision was taken to gain collaborative input into addressing the way forward as it relates to achieving the ambitious trajectory. He underscored that the move is geared at examining how existing programmes in this regard can be scaled up and be sustained for the long haul.
“This is not a fight that is a two-year or a five-year project…this is our national health response, that must not only deal with the crisis that face us immediately but that must deal with other crises in the future while sustaining the gains that have already been made.”
“We are sitting here because we are indeed change agents. We are here to act; we are here to make a difference in people’s lives. It means then delivering results…”
The Minister cautioned, though, that no one can boast that he has succeeded in the fight against HIV and therefore seek to be less vigilant. He highlighted that the lessons of history must not be missed, adding that in the 1950s and 1960s Guyana and many other countries had huge successes against malaria and had opted to close the malaria programme.
However, malaria subsequently resurfaced, he noted, a challenge which even today exists in the health sector. “In the 50s and 60s, too, globally we thought we won the battle against tuberculosis (TB).
“In the US for example, so it was not just developing countries…but in the developed countries like the US they virtually closed the TB programmes because we thought we had won the battle so let’s move on to other things. TB has come back with a vengeance.”
The Minister asserted that the task is not only to address the visible crisis but also to protect the gains that have been made.
He noted that while the national pact and the zero-global pact are bold initiatives, they represent an offshoot of the successes that have been obtained over the years.
“We no longer believe that these challenges can be overcome. Certainly we know that globally we have had successes…The number of new infections has been reduced even if it is still very high; the number of persons being counselled and tested globally has been phenomenal when compared to where we were and the number of persons on antiretroviral treatment (ARTs) has increased exponentially.”
But although all of the universal goals have not been met, Minister Ramsammy noted that “we are well on our way to achieving these universal goals in most countries of the world.”
He noted, too, with much gratification, that the number of persons dying each year has been reduced and people are living longer with HIV. In essence, HIV has been transformed from a deadly, killer disease to a chronic condition with which people can now live long and productive lives.
Wednesday’s forum saw Dr Itamar Katz of USAID presenting the major findings and recommendations of the HAPSAT.
According to USAID, Guyana’s success in reducing HIV prevalence, coupled with global decline in HIV/AIDS funding, necessitates an examination of the financial sustainability of Guyana’s AIDS Programme.
A preliminary HAPSAT brief was designed to provide Guyana’s National AIDS Programme with a preliminary analysis of the unit costs and financial and human resources available, and needed, to sustain the HIV/AIDS programme through 2015.
The USAID analysis focuses on activities that a broad group of stakeholders involved in Guyana’s HIV/AIDS programme identified as being critical to the sustainability of the programme.
The forum saw representation from a number of local organisations involved in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. It is anticipated that these stakeholders would put forward plausible recommendations which would pave the way for Guyana’s sustained strides in arresting the scourge of the disease.
According to Head of NAPS, Dr Shanti Singh, the issues of stigma and discrimination, and prevention services for vulnerable groups were highlighted as priority for the stakeholders’ discussion.
In applauding the timing of Wednesday’s meeting, Head of USAID, Guyana Mission, Ms Carol Horning, highlighted that it is only based on facts that efforts can be made to develop a realistic picture of what lies ahead and make hard choices on priority and programmes that will continue to see success in Guyana’s well renowned response to HIV and AIDS.

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