The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on Tuesday hosted a workshop on diversity and sensitivity for health care workers, to combat the stigma and discrimination that continue to hamper HIV/AIDS treatment.
The overall objective of the workshop was to control HIV/AIDS epidemic and achieve a sustainable response, a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. The pilot training in Guyana is based on providing the key population with friendly services regarding HIV/AIDS issues.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud told the workshop that the training was timely as Caribbean Wellness Day 2014 is being observed. The CMO noted that Guyana has been combating HIV/AIDS for 28 years and while much work has been done, there are still small populations in the country that are at risk and others that continue to be affected by the disease. Dr Persaud said that more work will be done to address the epidemic, particularly since many at-risk persons are difficult to reach.
The CMO acknowledged that despite the successes in the programmes, stigma and discrimination still linger and need to be addressed. He also agreed that while increased focus is placed on transmission, more should be placed on prevention and care. Pointing out that the gains were difficult to achieve, Dr Persaud suggested the government put more funds into battling the epidemic.
In her address, Head of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat Dr Shanti Singh said that there is evidence indicating that the epidemic has been stabilised in Guyana. She said initiatives such as the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmis-sion (PMTCT) programme has significantly reduced the number of children being born with the virus. The HIV treatment programme has had its successes.
And, in addition to public health care, private medical care has been a boon to the programme. Dr Singh insisted that it is through the commitment of the health care workers that these achievements have been made. While noting that the core responsibility for HIV sustainability rests on the government, Dr Singh also spoke of the importance of support from all stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Charge d’ Affaires of the United States Embassy Bryan Hunt said Guyana has done remarkably well in addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS. This is evident through improved access to treatment, the availability of support services and government’s programmes, which have resulted in a significant decrease in HIV mortality.
