Ignoring the AIDS threat

Nov 30, 2014 Editorial

World AIDS Day is once again being observed but the prevailing issue is whether any significant progress is being made in educating the masses of the dangers of HIV infection which leads to AIDS. After the hype and millions of US dollars poured into the initial surge of interest and prevention education people may quite understandably be asking where it all has gone.
If work is being done to prevent and treat this public health disease in any sustainable way we are not being kept informed of the progress on this front. The plain truth is that outside of international donor funding there does not seem to be any serious efforts underway to infuse locally generated funds from the people’s taxes into the struggle against HIV & AIDS.
The lack of information compared to the publicity blitz that the country experienced during the mid- to-late 2000s is indicative of a falling away of the level of interest in combating this scourge at both the international, regional and local levels.
This should not be surprising in light of the new focus on a disease that has the potential to take lives in a shorter space of time and is seemingly highly contagious when compared with the cycle that attends HIV infection leading to AIDS.
If anything is being done the National AIDS Secretariat is very quiet about its interventions. It is almost as if people have come to accept the occurrence and incidence of HIV infection as an inescapable part of their lives.
There seems to be an increasing apathy and acceptance regarding HIV & AIDS similar to how cancer was once viewed. The older folk might recall cancer being spoken of in hushed tones with not even the hardiest daring to utter the C-word.
The advent of regional grouping PANCAP together with international financial institutions in the form of International Development Association (IDA) or World Bank; and Global Fund realised significant inflows of needed cash and technical assistance in support of the Guyana Government programmes under the Ministry of Health.
And it is therefore encouraging to note that in the obvious absence of a sustained publicised behaviour change communication programme focused on prevention, the HIV prevalence according to Guyana’s Global AIDS Progress Report 2010-2011 among the general population in Guyana has been steadily decreasing since 2004 from 2.4 percent to 1.07 percent in 2011.
However in light of a reduction in the level of financial and technical resources for the HIV response globally, there is an urgent need to refocus to a more multi-sectoral comparative advantage approach to mainstreaming HIV education and programmes for efficient resource utilisation and cost effectiveness.
Another facet of the HIV & AIDS scenario is the amount of overseas travel that is undertaken by officials. It would be in the public’s interest to know to what end and what purpose is served by the constant travel demands. It would be interesting to know what benefits come the way of this country, and what contributions are made on behalf of Guyana in the general scheme of things.
One factor that should not escape notice and bears repeating is the apparent absence or diminution of programmes in the public sector which makes up the majority of formal work force.
During the period reviewed by the Global AIDS Progress Report for 2010-2011 the government through its Ministry of Health in conjunction with the international bodies World Bank; Global Fund; and the United States President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief actively promoted work place HIV prevention programmes where the needs of employees within public sector work force including those in corporations and agencies were addressed.
It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the decrease as cited in the report could be attributed to an educated and informed public sector.
It would be a grave dereliction of duty if the authorities fail to facilitate and implement sustainable education and prevention programmes across the board. We need to move beyond rhetoric to practically ensuring that our human capital remains intact.

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