The US Government is prepared to pump approximately US$150,000 ($30M) into the improvement of hinterland healthcare over a twelve-month period.

The money will be available through the US President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) but while that initiative has been focused on HIV and AIDS in many countries, in this instance focus will not only be on HIV and AIDS,  according to Dr LaMar Hasbrouck, Chief of Party of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) local office.

He said in this initiative for the hinterland they have recognised that HIV is a disease in the context of many other diseases that also need to be addressed.

To ensure that the money will be used effectively, CDC in collaboration with the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) yesterday held a one-day discussion which saw the participation of some 25 organisations, in-cluding government ministries and non-governmental organizations.

It was expected  that through this discussion, they would have come up with coordinated efforts to integrate the work of many agencies in the hinterland.

Dr Hasbrouck said that it is hoped that they would be able to fill the gaps in healthcare offered to the hinterland population. “It’s all about synergy,” Dr Hasbrouck said.

He said it is hoped that a multi-sectoral approach “with focus on delivering service to the hinterland,” will be developed while it was pointed out that the improvement of communication, transportation, water and electricity would be on the cards.

Head of NAPS, Dr Shanti Singh, noted that the last census revealed that Amerindians make up about 9.2 percent of the overall population but she cautioned that it does not mean that Amerindians are the only ones who live in the hinterland. In fact 5 percent of the hinterland population is of other races.

She said according to Dr Abdel Abdalla, who heads the mobile hinterland HIV clinic, the majority of HIV infections among the Amerindians was due to the movement of persons through their villages. Forty-three persons are being treated via the mobile clinic and 30 of those are on anti-retrovirals.

Dr Singh acknowledged that while much has been done in the hinterland, much more is needed and coordination is essential to avoid duplication.

She pointed out also that while Region One has more Amerindians than other regions, more work is being done in Region Nine and it therefore means that a large population of Amerindians is not getting the vital service.

And Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, said that transportation has always been a burning issue in the hinterland and he feels that it would be an issue five years down the line. He said it is inexcusable and “unacceptable” to expect people from the hinterland to travel to Georgetown for healthcare. And while the minister noted that there are some 400 health facilities scattered around the country, he admitted like Dr Singh that there is still more to be done.

He noted that 12 percent of the last budget was allocated for health which means US$78 per capita but in the region it is the lowest per capita. However, according to the minister, in 1990 there was just US$7 per capita for health care.

And the US$78 per capita is still not enough the minister admitted.  He said that too many mothers, children and young people are dying and  too many young people are living with depression and are not productive.

Also speaking at the one-day event was the new US Ambassador, John Jones, who disclosed that they plan to work in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9. He noted that PEPFAR has 15 outreach programmes but only one is in the hinterland. He urged that all must work together to bring benefit to those living in the hinterland.