SCOTIA Bank’s branch at Parika, East Bank Essequibo, will be hosting a Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) exercise today for those persons who were unable to get tested on Friday last for Regional Testing Day.

This is the seventh year that Scotiabank in Guyana is participating in this regional initiative under the aegis of the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS (CBMP) in collaboration with the Pan Caribbean Partnership on HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) and the Ministry of Health.

There was a steady flow of traffic to the Scotiabank testing sites on Friday last as persons responded to the Bank’s social media campaign #WhatsYourStatus.

Personnel from the National Aids Programme Secretariat (NAPS) are conducting confidential screenings and counselling on taking precaution to stop the spread of HIV.

Clinics were held, on Friday last, at Scotiabank branches on Robb Street and Carmichael Street and at Bartica and New Amsterdam.

The bank, in a statement, said HIV Counselling and Testing is an important entry point into comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment programmes and services. Counselling and Testing programmes provide an opportunity for more persons to know their HIV status; for the negative client to receive risk reduction counselling and support to stay negative; and for HIV infected clients to be referred early into treatment and care programmes and further counselled and supported.
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada’s most international bank.