Latest update February 18th, 2025 1:40 PM
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Govt gearing to fully sustain own HIV/AIDS fight within three years
Government is gearing to take full responsibility for the local HIV/AIDS fight which is expected to see it, in a matter of years, plugging a sizeable sum in this direction. This notion was recently highlighted by Programme Manager at the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Dr. Shanti Singh, who, during a recent interview disclosed that from the Government’s perspective there are plans to increase the budget being placed on the HIV response.
NAPS Programme Director, Dr Shanti Singh
However, an increased budget in this regard may not take full effect until another three years. This is in light of the fact that Guyana was recently able to secure a second tranche of Global Funding for the local HIV/AIDS fight amounting to about US$14.6 million.
In the meantime, though, Dr. Singh said that moves are being made to transition the system to accommodate an eventual move towards Government funding. As such she noted that already human resources currently involved in the HIV/AIDS fight are being transitioned. These resources, Dr. Singh pointed out, are however, not only those attached to the National AIDS Programme Secretariat.
Moreover, she disclosed that Departments such as the Adolescent Health Unit, which has been doing work in the area of Health and Family Life Education through the Ministry of Education, and has been attracting donor funding, is being transitioned over to Government.
“We have a number of staff on the Global Fund project…as a matter of fact, it is about 69 staffers that we have under this project and we have received approval from Cabinet for all of those positions to be transitioned over to the Ministry of Health (Government) over a three-year time period,” said Dr. Singh.
According to her, the Health Ministry had in fact submitted a plan that was approved by Cabinet thereby enabling the approval of the transition move.
Added to this, Dr. Singh said that approval was granted for the transition of a number of consumables in support of the HIV treatment programme. “So we have transitioned to some extent CD4 testing, viral load testing, HIV rapid testing and a number of the other consumables to support prevention as well as our HIV treatment programme.”
Speaking of the efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS Guyana Country Coordinator, Dr. Roberto Brant Campos, emphasised that no longer is ending the disease a dream but rather it is a scientifically proven possibility.
And this should be the goal that Guyana and the rest of the world should be aspiring for, Dr. Campos said, even as he noted that the factor of sustainability is one factor that must be given close attention.
“That is something we need to reflect on, yes we can end it, yes we can decrease the number of cases…We are on the route but we need to reflect on the sustainability but is it not possible to be dependent so much on the Global Fund grants; countries need to raise domestic funds to complement the needed funds to achieve the end of the epidemic in the future,” Dr. Campos asserted.
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