Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony has committed Government’s continued approach in increasing treatment access for patients living with HIV/AIDS, while ending the inequalities which currently exist in the country.
Today is set aside for World AIDS Day to raise awareness on HIV and AIDS. The theme for this year’s observance is “End inequalities. End AIDS. End Pandemics.”
Dr Anthony underscored that it highlights the importance of addressing economic, gender, racial and social inequalities. These inequalities have prevented persons at risk for HIV from accessing prevention services and those infected from accessing care and treatment.
“These inequalities have driven this HIV pandemic, with 1.7 million people getting infected while 690,000 died. Of the newly infected, 62 per cent were from key populations and their sexual partners…Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s challenges, which have disrupted health services, the Government and its partners have worked to end inequalities and increase access to prevention, care, and treatment,” he shared.
This has resulted in 9022 persons being diagnosed with HIV, while 6573 persons are on treatment, and 4052 are virally suppressed. Of growing concern is that many HIV positive patients are hesitant to be vaccinated, putting them at risk for COVID-19. Nevertheless, the Ministry is encouraging vaccination for these patients and has conducted several informational sessions with various key population groups. Of this, 71 are new cases.
“The Ministry of Health continues to roll out combination HIV prevention by complementing HIV education, condom distribution, self-testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The Ministry of Health is committed to closing the gaps in the testing and treatment cascade by increasing access to testing through self-testing and working with partners to offer VCT in all regions.”
In addition, the Government has secured enough ARVs for all patients needing treatment and taken steps to reduce loss to follow up by employing multi-month drug dispensation, using new and effective combinations of ARVs, and using DOTS in HIV management. Many patients have been screened and treated for STIs and Hepatitis.
Plans are already on the way to secure treatment to cure persons with Hepatitis C.
“We are optimistic that these partnerships will help us reach more at-risk groups to enlist them into our programmes. Work is also ongoing to strengthen the rights-based approach by working with stakeholders to remove discriminatory laws and other policies that can create structural and social barriers to prevention, care and treatment. The details of these and other plans are outlined in the HIV/AIDS 2021 to 2026 strategy,” Dr Anthony detailed.
US Govt’s commitment
In her message, US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch offered commitment on her Government’s end in leading global efforts to end the HIV epidemic.
With nearly two decades of bipartisan support across presidential administrations and from the US Congress, the United States has invested more than $85 billion in the global AIDS response through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and as the leading donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). This is the largest commitment ever by one country to address a single disease.
“PEPFAR-supported programmes have safely ensured access to HIV services, including core prevention services that were affected by early COVID-19 mitigation measures. Many of these HIV prevention programmes have since expanded significantly, while keeping clients and staff safe from COVID-19. Globally, PEPFAR has helped replace death and despair with vibrant life and hope, and tragedy with triumph,” the diplomat noted.
Here in Guyana, PEPFAR supports the National Care and Treatment Centre in its efforts to provide client-centred care and treatment that includes outreach to those who are most vulnerable. Over US$185 million dollars has been provided to Guyana since 2004, and this year an additional US$1.5 million was added.
PEPFAR supports the Ministry and communities in Guyana to ensure that people of all ages, genders, and population groups have equitable access to life-saving prevention and treatment services.
“We are at a crossroads in the global AIDS response, and the choices we make now will have critical implications for years to come. After decades of progress, our work is not yet finished. If we falter, millions more people will be infected with HIV and millions more people now living with HIV will die of AIDS. But if, together, we confront the challenges before us with conviction and compassion, we can pave the path to end the HIV epidemic everywhere and to secure a better future for everyone.”
Meanwhile, Programme Manager at the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Dr Tariq Jagnarine outlined that the HIV/AIDS epidemic compounded with the most recent COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on society.
“It has been four decades since the first case of HIV was identified, 40 years later we still face many challenges that hinders the progress toward elimination of HIV/AIDS. Inequalities stands at the forefront of many of those challenges—this is fed largely by ignorance and animus, as a result stigma and discrimination persist and continue to have a forceful impact on people living with HIV.”
He pointed out that over 94 per cent of the persons living with HIV in Guyana know their status but only 70 per cent are on treatment with antiretrovirals and 87 per cent are virally suppressed.
“This clearly indicates to us that to end AIDS and defeat COVID-19 we must eliminate the inequities contributing to stigma and discrimination, by putting people at the centre of our interventions and ground our responses in human rights and gender-responsive approaches. Now more than ever there is the need to end the social injustices that put people at risk of contracting HIV and fight for the right to living healthy,” Dr Jagnarine added.
