Latest update December 19th, 2024 3:22 AM
15,000 targeted as national HIV testing drive commences
Eyeing an ambitious target of 15,000, the Ministry of Health through its National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) yesterday kicked into motion another national Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing drive.
Under the theme, ‘Zero Stigma! Get Tested’, the activity is being undertaken at a number of testing sites that have been set up across the country, which according to reports emanating from NAPS, have already been seeing an acceptable response.
Catering mainly to their workforces, there were testing sites at a number of organisations including Banks DIH, Neal and Massy, Sterling Products, Courts Guyana, the Guyana 
Revenue Authority, Ashmin’s, the Guyana Post Office Corporation, Guyana National Shipping Corporation, Rent-a-tent, Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Brickdam Police Station, Demerara Distillers Limited, Guyana Forestry Commission, Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and the Amerindian Hostel as well at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Former Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, kick-started the testing activities at the latter mentioned Ministry.
The national testing drive is set to come to an end tomorrow as World AIDS Day is ushered in under the theme ‘Getting to Zero’ which speaks to zero stigma, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths, according to NAPS’ Programme Manager, Dr. Shanti Singh.
She related during an interview with this publication that a decision was made to scale-down the activity to three days this year, since it was recognised that the goal of the activity had been achieved. According to her, the goal of the testing drive was to encourage members of the public to know their status with a view of reducing the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease. Guyana’s HIV/AIDS response was introduced in 1987 when the first AIDS case was diagnosed and “our response has really evolved over the years in many ways”.
The ongoing testing drive, which will be expanded to a number of other locations today, also includes testing at mobile units on the East Coast and East Banks of Demerara, the Sophia/Turkeyen area, Vreed-en-hoop, West Coast Demerara, and a number of other locations, according to National Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Coordinator, Ms. Debra Success-Hall.
The process of Voluntary Counselling and Testing has remained one of the key cornerstones of the testing activity which, according to Dr. Singh, has allowed for the evolution of the whole concept of treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
In recognition of the fact that there can only be one of two outcomes when a person is tested (positive or negative), she alluded to the crucial role of Voluntary Counselling and Testing as the main avenue to achieve the goals attached to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“If you are HIV-negative we will work with you on all of the risk reduction strategies, making sure that that individual remains HIV-negative, and if you are HIV-positive, we will work with that individual to make sure that that person gets into the care and treatment programme and gets managed appropriately,” said Dr. Singh.
Last year the national testing drive allowed for more than 40,000 individuals to be tested.
This year, with the aid of mobile set-ups, Dr. Singh said that more members of the community will be reached, thereby allowing for the anticipated target to be attained.
“We want to go to the workplaces and places of gatherings such as market places, the City Mall and other places to allow people to be tested,” Dr. Singh said recently.
She anticipates that a significant number of young people will seek to know their status during the course of the testing drive which is designed to ensure that there are no new infections.
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