A major part of the two-day fifth Annual Pan Caribbean Business Coalition (PCBC) Forum on HIV/AIDS was centred on what assistance insurance companies in the region could be given to better assist persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and in the end it was concluded that more data is needed to better assist the companies.

At the conclusion of the two-day event, which opened on Thursday at the Pegasus Hotel, President of the Insurance Association of the Caribbean Inc. Douglas Camacho said that while data is available on other illness there is none on HIV to better inform insurance companies. He pointed out that while persons living with the virus would not find it difficult to benefit from a pension scheme with insurance companies, the difficulty comes into play with life insurance. “It [life insurance for HIV infected persons] was discussed but the data is not there,” Camacho told Stabroek News.

He added that stigma and discrimination could be responsible for the lack of data.

He also suggested that doctors could also fail to record the relevant information, which is needed to inform the insurance companies when giving policies to infected persons so that they would be better  informed of the illness.

Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of the forum, Camacho described the discussions as “interesting.”  As has been the case in many other forums on HIV, Camacho said, what was clear from the discussions was that the wider community needed to understand that persons who are HIV infected are no different from persons who might have a heart condition or any other illness.

He said that as current president of the Caribbean insurance body, he has decided to make an office available in the association’s Port-of-Spain, Trinidad building to the PCBC to assist with its administrative work. Also discussed was the coalition to start ensuring that the necessary data is captured in a meaningful form.

And in his comments UN Envoy on HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean Sir George Alleyne said what was extremely gratifying to him is the increasing numbers of national business coalitions.

He said he was optimistic that over the next few years business coalitions will be present in all Caribbean countries.

“I think that would happen because there is a will in a way, because of the efforts of the media. The efforts of the media in transmitting the value of partnerships…” Sir George said.

He urged the media to transmit the value of the PCBC since it is important for the business sector to be involved in the AIDS fight not only because of its corporate responsibility, but also because work places are becoming locations for seeing what is necessary for appropriate prevention measures.

The PCBC strives to enhance the understanding of the roles of the various stakeholders in the multi-sectoral response to HIV, such as government, business, people living with HIV, and other sectors.

At this fifth forum, the various National Business Coalitions on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean were joined by representatives of the regional multi sector partners – government, insurance, employers association, labour and other civil society representatives in their effort to enhance the understanding of the roles of the various stakeholders in the multisectoral response to HIV. They also committed to ensuring a holistic approach to wellness in the workplace, of which an effective response to HIV is an integral part and strengthening the partnership between the PCBC and the regional insurance body to increase the understanding of and dealing with HIV.

The sharing of good practice and results and recognizing the efforts, successes and challenges within existing business coalitions, as well as the importance of business leadership in ensuring that the workplace is a safe space for persons infected with and affected by HIV were also among the commitments made.

To date, five countries – Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Suriname and Guyana -currently have active National Business Coalitions on HIV/AIDS. The Bahamas, Grenada and Antigua are in the process of establishing theirs.

The Guyana Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB was formed in 2008 and is expected to harness 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. The USAID-funded Guyana 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 has now expanded to some 43 organisations.

The original partners had organised themselves into a ‘Private Sector Advisory Board’ which was a precursor to the coalition.