Unofficial numbers from the ministry indicate that the target of 20,000 tests has been surpassed and there is still much interest. The ministry had promoted the week of testing as an opportunity for individuals to know their HIV status while also encouraging persons to end the stigma attached to the disease through public testing.
Ramsammy, in a press statement from the ministry, hailed the positive feedback as an achievement and was quoted as saying that the work being done to fight the stigma against HIV was finally paying off to the point where people are now clamouring to know their status. “People are not afraid anymore; they are coming out in their numbers to get tested… The nation now has the understanding that the HIV is just another test in their overall health check up and they are now so desirous of adopting healthy lifestyles that they are being responsible and knowing their status… I am so proud of Guyanese in this regard,” he stated.
The ministry’s statement referred to feedback from across the country, stating that the targets set in individual regions appear to have been surpassed. It said too that there appeared to be a reversal of the trend where more women than men are accessing the sites, adding that the response from the male population has been tremendous. This was also confirmed by Director of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Dr Shanti Singh who told Stabroek News yesterday that the dynamics are changing.
Singh said that in addition to more men coming forward for testing, there has been an increase in the number of couples showing up. She said school children and many elderly persons also turned up for counselling as well as testing services at the some 400 sites set up countrywide.
Stabroek News observed a huge crowd of persons at the testing site set up at the City Mall, where there were also a few hiccups. Persons visiting the site complained about waiting for considerably long periods without any information as to the next step; many left without being tested.
This year the ministry is executing its national campaign at countrywide testing and it has suggested that the National Week of Testing will transition into the Mini-Health Check Week where a menu of tests in addition to HIV will be conducted, an initiative of Minister Ramsammy. According to the ministry, persons were able to check their blood sugar and blood pressure levels as well as their Body Mass Index free of cost along with accessing HIV tests this year. The campaign is likely to focus on chronic diseases next year.
