To fight HIV/AIDS, collaboration of Caribbean countries necessary

A call has been issued to Caribbean nations by Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony to unite in the fight HIV/AIDS, especially with the current limited resources.

Dr. Anthony noted that the landscape for HIV/AIDS is rapidly changing, as there are now many competing interests for developmental funding, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister stressed that global organisations such as the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) are having a short fall of resources. While the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is also rearranging its priorities as resources are becoming a challenge.

The health minister revealed that more resources need to be deployed into the Caribbean. “We have lots of best practices in our countries and once we are able to share that information, we can strengthen each other’s programme,” he disclosed during his presentation at PANCAP’s share fair event, held at the Grand Coast Inn, on Thursday.

Dr. Anthony said steps need to be taken by Caribbean countries to improve and optimise existing programmes. He pointed out that in Guyana, the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), along with the Health Ministry, has aggressively sought to ensure persons are tested and those living with HIV/AIDS are treated properly.

The minister said that while speaking about the 95-95-95 by 2025 target, that there’s a need for the region to rethink ways and means of getting resources and how to properly use those resources to reach the goal. It was revealed that UNAIDS launched the 95-95-95 targets several years ago seeking to diagnose 95% of all HIV-positive individuals, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 95% of those diagnosed and achieve viral suppression for 95% of those treated by 2030.

“In our regional response we have to rethink many of these things and to see what would work and what would not work and really honestly as a region to see what are the types of resources that we need to get…,” Dr. Anthony said, He continued, “And if we don’t have the resources, how are we going to be able to mobilise those resources to be able to get there.” 

It was disclosed that the two-day share fair will focus on the usage of Dolutegravir (DTG) to treat patients living with HIV. As such, participants from Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Guyana will discuss the use of this treatment in special population.

Meanwhile, PANCAP’s Officer-in-Charge, Collin Kirton stressed that the share-fair will significantly enhance knowledge and skills in HIV implementation programmes. “I urge you to use the knowledge gained during the next two days to make the regions transgression to DTG a success story that the rest of the world can emulate,” he added.

It was noted that the event is being held under the theme “Optimising treatment and improving the quality of care for people living with HIV using Dolutegravir” and is funded by the USAID.