Ministry of Health

News

Programme Manager: Dr. Shanti Singh-Anthony

A quarterly newsletter by the National AIDS Programme Secretariat

Volume 1 Issue 4
October - December, 2014

Departments and Staff appreciated

for outstanding support
encouraged to get tested and know their status. She said a total
of 26,028 tests were done at the 58 testing sites around Guyana
including the tests done through the Prevention of Mother to
Child Transmission (PMTCT) blood screening programme.
Testing continues with greater emphasis on reaching the key
groups on detecting HIV positive cases. These are Sex Workers
and Men who have sex with men (MSM). The Programme Manager
used the opportunity to thank a number of organizations for
enabling the testing and treatments as they all unite in the fight
against AIDS.

The National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) has registered

a total of 5034 patients in its programme with 4274 of those
patients accessing anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs. This was stated by
Programme Manager Dr. Shanti Singh as she addressed awardees
and invitees to the annual NAPS Appreciation Ceremony held on
6th December, 2014 at the Hermanston Lodge.

A total of eight awards were given out that evening by the

Secretariat, six individuals and two departments. Among them, a
special award was given to Mr. Keith Burrowes former Executive
Director of the Health Sector Development Unit (HSDU). He was
recognized for his work with the Secretariat and for successfully
negotiating grants of the Global Fund for the control of HIV, TB
and Malaria.

She said the numbers indicate that the HIV treatment programme
has been working progressively all year in caring for persons with
the virus. Thus, she said the virus no longer poses a threat, but
facilities normal life for those infected. Dr. Singh disclosed that
these tests could not have been possible without persons being

Departments in the Ministry of Health, Finance and Personnel

were awarded for their critical support to the work of the
Secretariat. Individual awards went to Ms. Dolly Stanford, Ms.
Elizabeth Mc Almont, Mr. Ray Chance, Ms. Leslyn Roberts and Mr.
Totaram Hansraj.

IN THIS ISSUE
Pg 2 World AIDS Day walk 2014 attracted hundreds of
participants
Pg 3 NAPS hosts Film Festival to mark World AIDS Day, 2014
Pg 3 Painting of an AIDS Mural- An AIDS Free Generation
Pg 4 PANCAP/CARICOM makes significant donation to the Food
Bank
Pg 4 90-90-90 The New Global Targets for the HIV
Continuum of Care

Recipients of the NAPS Appreciation Awards: from left: Totaram

Hansraj, Dolly Stanford, Elizabeth Mc Almont, Ray Chance, Ms. Meyers,
Vishnu Tularam & Mr. Keith Burrowes. Center: Dr. Shanti Singh &
Minister Ramsaran.

World AIDS Day walk 2014 attracted

hundreds of participants
The annual walk held on Sunday 30th November under the
theme: An AIDS free Generation- closing the gap, reducing
inequities, reaching those in need saw over 200 participants.
These comprised of staff from Parliament Officer, Guyana
Forestry Commission, Ministry of Labour, Cacitelli & Associates,
Eureka Medical Laboratory, Guyana Business Coalition on HIV/
AIDS, Guyana Defence Force, Qualfon, Peace Corps Guyana,
PAHO/WHO, APC, USAID/PEPFAR, US Embassy, UNDP/UNAIDS,
Ministry of health staff among others.

The walk commenced at the 704 car park, Lamaha and Albert
Streets. Participants walked through the community of
Queenstown and Campbellville and Kitty and culminated in the
National Park. There, members of the Faith Community indulged
the participants in words of prayers. This was followed by
presentations from the Programme Manger of NAPS, Dr. Shanti
Singh, UNAIDS Country Director Dr. Roberto Campos, PEPFAR
Coordinator Ms. Stephanie Joseph De Goes and Minister of
Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran.

Participants at the World AIDS Day walk

-2-

NAPS hosts Film Festival to mark

World AIDS Day, 2014

As part of the many activities held to observeWorld AIDS Day 2014, the National
AIDS Programme brought together close to 1000 school children from region 4 at a
Film Festival to inform and educate them about the origins of the AIDS epidemic. The
Film Festival which was held at the National Cultural Centre on 25 & 26 November
showed an American docu drama titled: And the Band Played on. This is the story
of the first years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States and focuses on three key
elements of reactions from the scientific community, the US government and CDC
and the gay community.
After the viewing of the movie, the students asked numerous questions which were
answered by NAPS staff and Peace Corps Volunteers. Students from 10th and 11th
grades were in attendance from 18 schools around Georgetown.

Painting of an AIDS Mural- An AIDS

Free Generation
As part of the World
AIDS Day observances,
the painting of an
AIDS mural was
undertaken at the
National Park with the
message: An AIDS
Free Generation.

An exercise
undertaken by the
Red Ribbon Youth
Group

-3-

PANCAP/CARICOM makes significant

donation to the Food Bank

Caricom Assistant Secretary General, Dr. Douglas Slater hands over

one of the several gifts to Mr. Somdatt Ramessar, Food Bank Manager,
NAPS.

Caricom Secretary General share a moment with staff of Caricom and

NAPS as the handing over ceremony.

On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2014, PANCAP/CARICOM

donated for the second consecutive year, food stuff worth
$150,000 to the Food Bank of the National AIDS Programme
Secretariat.

food hampers to 901 new patients, (HIV, TB Infected and those

co-infected with HIV).

The Food Bank, one of the components of the national program

has been able over the last eight years of its existence, offered
and continues to offer critical nutritional support to PLHIV. As of
December 2014, the Food Bank has been able to distribute 3689

This has now brought us a total of 8083 patients (HIV, TB infected

and HIV/TB co-infected) to have accessed the Food Bank during
the years 2007 2014 across all regions of Guyana. A total of
28,474 Food Hampers have been distributed since 2007 -2014
thus far.

90-90-90 The New Global Targets

for the HIV Continuum of Care
90-90-90 were the new global targets set in the fight against
HIV when representatives of WHO, UNAIDS and other key
agencies met at a global target setting meeting in Mexico in June
2014. This new goal means that by 2020: 90% of all people living
with HIV will know their HIV status: 90% of all people diagnosed
with HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy
and: 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have
viral suppression.
Under the theme The HIV Continuum of Care and the 90-9090 Strategy, the Ministry of Health through the National AIDS
Programme Secretariat (NAPS), held a two-day workshop at
the Grand Coastal Inn on 27th and 28th December 2014 to
identify barriers and develop strategies for achieving the new
targets. The overall objective of the workshop was to contribute
to the expansion and sustainability of the HIV response and in
particular commit to comprehensive care, in partnership with

all stakeholders, based on agreed upon strategies to reduce the

number of new infections and to achieve the highest quality of
care with sustained viral suppression.
In attendance at the workshop were fifty four (54) participants
taken from the various regions of Guyana.
Key points discussed included need to increase access to testing
and treatment for key populations and the proposed shift from
Parallel Testing to Serial Testing, the quality of post test counseling
and the need to personalize referrals in linking newly diagnosed
clients to treatment was also especially emphasized.
Viral load tests every six months in detecting treatment failure
and serving as a guide in changing treatment regimens was also
identified as crucial.

Designed and Layout by

Contact us
National AIDS Programme Secretariat
Hadfield Street and College Road,
Werk-en-Rust, Stabroek, Georgetown
Phone: 592-226-5371. Fax: 592-223-7140

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