The Guyana business coalition on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria was formally launched at the National Cultural Centre yesterday.
The importance and timeliness of the coalition was highlighted by the common thread that ran through the remarks of all the speakers at the event.
Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy who delivered the official address in place of President Bharrat Jagdeo who was absent from the event said that winning the battle against HIV/AIDS could only be achieved by a partnership involving all stakeholders.
Ramsammy said that HIV/AIDS has the potential to cause “significant upheaval” to the stability of the country as it has in many African nations that have seen a massive decline in their economy due to an AIDS-related decrease in their GDP.
He said that for businesses to be successful a healthy workforce is desirable and so this initiative by the business sector to educate and be on the ‘look out’ for their workers is essential.
Dr. Albert Siemens – chairman and CEO of Family Health International (FHI)- a non-profit organization active in international public health which aims at improving lives worldwide through research, education, and services in family health, said that although outside groups such as USAID/GHARP have been providing unyielding support to the Guyana coalition, it must be recognised that when their programme ends the ball is left in the court of the business community and they will have to uphold their end of the game.
He also acknowledged the comments made by Ramsammy at the Business Awards dinner on Thursday night. Ramsammy had said that there is a noticeable decline in the number of AIDS-related deaths. Years ago there were some 500 deaths by AIDS, now the number has dropped to just over 50. Siemens said “we must not be lulled to sleep by these figures,” since the low prevalence can be the result of infected persons migrating or the more sobering reality – they have died.
He said that the key to reducing the incidence of HIV is a change in attitudes and behaviours. Siemens also made the point that the promotion of contraception for HIV positive couples should be done, especially to lessen incidents of unwanted pregnancies by such couples.
Meanwhile, Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Georgetown, Karen Williams told the gathering that the business sector has a pivotal role to play in the fight against HIV/AIDS since a loss of human resources means a short-term loss in personnel and a long-term loss of experienced people to train the next generation of workers.
The Guyana Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB was formed as a mean of harnessing the power of the business sector to identify and develop breakthroughs and interventions in dealing with HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in the workplace and the community at large, a release earlier this week had said. The USAID-funded Guy-ana HIV/AIDS Prevention and Reduction Project (GHARP) worked in partnership with the Ministry of Health for the past three years to develop a programme strategy for the coalition. The programme which started with a handful of partners in 2005 and has now expanded to some 43 organizations.
The original partners had organized themselves into a ‘Private Sector Advisory Board’ which is a precursor to the Coalition.
The Board, now the ‘Coalition’, held its second annual Business Awards and Dinner on Thursday evening when several businesses including Scotia Bank, the Guyana Rice Development Board and Merundoi Inc. received awards for their excellence in business and their contribution to the ‘HIV fight’.
UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, Sir George Alleyne was the keynote speaker. He said that in recognition of the progress that has been made, the UNAIDS has committed to financially support the Coalition for the next three years.
Several companies signed a workplace policy document to highlight their support for the Coalition and their dedication to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
