Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS receives kudos, urged to continue efforts

Aug 31, 2014 News

---

…as 2014 Business Excellence Awards presented

 

By Sharmain Grainger

Although fighting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a mandate of Government through the Ministry of Health, this fight has certainly not been merely dependent on the ruling administration. In fact the business community has significantly been lending a helping hand.
This state of affairs was duly recognised and lauded Friday evening when the Guyana Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBCHA) held its annual dinner and awards ceremony for Business Excellence at the Kingston, Georgetown, Pegasus Hotel.

The well attended forum was graced by many dignitaries including Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran, and Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms Jennifer Webster. There was also very noticeable representation from the Diplomatic Corps.
In fact one of the speakers at the forum was Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles.
“Exemplary” was the adjective used by Dr Giles to describe the efforts of GBCHA which thrives on the support of the business community to combat the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
In delivering her brief remarks, she disclosed that “since my arrival in Guyana I have had the privilege to meet with the GBCHA several times and to observe their incredible work. I have come to respect and admire GBCHA’s mission and dedication to supporting the national programme to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.”
Continuing with her glowing observations, the High Commissioner disclosed how impressed she has been with the innovative approach that has been adopted by the GBCHA to address what she classified as a “very complex issue.”
She however pointed out that while progress has been made in addressing HIV/AIDS, the associated statistics remain daunting. This, according to her, translates to more than 34 million people around the world suffering with the virus.
“To put that in context, that is the population of Canada,” Dr Giles told the gathering at the GBCHA event Friday evening.
But even more alarming is the fact that 95 per cent of all HIV/AIDS patients live and work in developing countries. This situation, she noted, speaks to the debilitating polarisation of health care and treatment between developing and developed countries.
The High Commissioner in her deliberations highlighted too that the largest number of persons living with HIV/AIDS are in fact those of a productive age who are oftentimes the breadwinners of their households.
“This has an enormous impact on sustainable economic development and affects the bottom line operations of companies in many ways…,” said Dr Giles who underscored that “it has become necessary for companies to rethink how they deploy their human resource strategies to support their employees’ health and families.”
The impact of HIV/AIDS on economic development, the High Commissioner noted, underscores the need for better and more sophisticated understanding of the roles that businesses can play in fighting HIV/AIDS.
But according to her “all hope is not lost for Guyana.”
Dr Giles pointed out that since 2009 there has been a continuation of the reduction in new cases for both HIV as well as AIDS.
And this development, according to her, is attributable to the hard work of the National AIDS Programme, partners like the GBCHA and other local dedicated organisations.
“This is a hard fought victory in an area where victories are all too rare…it is good news for all stakeholders whose commitment have made this a reality,” asserted Dr Giles, who went on to note that “today more than ever, successful businesses understand that they must, and are expected to, behave responsibly because of the positive impact that socially responsible businesses can exhort”.
In fact, Dr Giles emphasised that companies together with Governments, civil society and communities all have a role to play in combating HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
“This has been a primordial lesson from the success of the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has been one of the most singularly successful health care interventions that the world has ever seen, precisely because it is a multi-stakeholder, innovative, and implements a business-driven model,” Dr Giles pointed out.
But continuing the HIV/AIDS fight, she noted, should in fact embrace the famous Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “be the change you wish to see.”
Dr Giles’s remarks were fully endorsed by Dr Ramsaran, who informed that the Health Ministry has in place a strategy that speaks to consolidating and expanding strategic partnerships. And according to the Minister, the GBCHA is in fact the kind of partnership that the Ministry is looking to collaborate with on a sustained basis.
“Your Coalition has stood the test of time in providing a platform for us to together address the issue of HIV/AIDS in the workforce…as a matter of fact this Coalition has created examples on how we can work in other areas of health care provision,” Dr Ramsaran noted.
Turning his attention to the changing nature of HIV, the Health Minister pointed out that it is no longer demanding of the type of response that was required in the past. He said that the virus is today even described as a chronic disease.
“This has been an achievement due to the good work put in by the Coalition, by the work of the Ministry of Health, by the health care providers working together in the workplace for example,” the Minister asserted.
He however enlisted the continued support of GBCHA, since according to him, “you will soon hear the Ministry of Health coming to you to say your work is not done. We pat you on the back for your achievements in your fight against HIV/AIDS, but no rest for the wicked; you will have to continue working a wee bit harder to help us in creating yet another coalition.”
In keeping with its mandate to award outstanding companies for their respective involvement in the HIV/AIDS fight and general health and wellness, GBCHA Executive Director, Suzanne French, announced several of the entities and individuals identified for recognition.
Among the awardees were companies Edward B. Beharry and Company Limited and Scotiabank, King’s Jewellery World, the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation and Ansa McAl, while in the individual categories were Rohini Ramkumar of Edward B. Beharry and Company Limited (winner of the Workplace Peer Educator category); Jaunelle Marks of the Guyana Revenue Authority (Honourable Mention for the Workplace Peer Educator category); Ms Jannis London of Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited (winner of the Advocacy and Leadership category); Richard Pitman of Radio Guyana Inc. (winner of the Media Action category).
Also recognised and honoured were GBCHA in-house supporters Ms Jacqueline Success-Parris, Ms Elisabeth Dyer, and Ms Duanne Jacobis-Lewis who is set to leave the Coalition shortly.
The event on Friday evening was also filled with dramatic performances including a dance, song and skit that highlighted the daunting domestic violence situation plaguing the society.

---

---