Funding agencies laud Guyana’s health care provision
THE Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the National AIDS  Programme Secretariat (NAPS), convened a consensus meeting yesterday to discuss the way forward with regard to the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV. The vision for 2020 and an overview of progress made on drafting the   document were also on the agenda at the Regency Suites Hotel, in Hadfield Street, Stabroek, Georgetown.
Head of NAPS, Dr. Shanti Singh said a number of key documents were reviewed and consultations held with global partners will see several components integrated into the draft, including sexual and reproductive health, health promotion and treatment, as well as care and support for HIV.
She said the main objectives of the forum was to provide stakeholders with a preview of the NSP, get another opportunity for feedback and begin  discussions on it to pinpoint the inconsistencies while rectifying them.
Singh told the gathering that the plan was formulated following several reviews of a number of key documents dating from as far back as 2007.
“We have reviewed documents from all technical areas; we have looked at mid-term reviews and findings that were derived from the end-of-term reviews; we conducted interviews and we structured many questions to come up with the plan,” she reported.
Singh said, from the various assessments, priority areas were identified and they are expected to be included in the NSP.
According to her, a number of consultations were done and, based on the outcomes, a host of areas have been earmarked to be looked at as potential positives for the NSP.
She said yesterday’s occasion was just another to highlight what they have accomplished so far, as it gets closer to the completion of the final documentation.

FOREFRONT
Executive Director of Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP), Ms. Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland acknowledged that Guyana has been in the forefront of regional efforts in health care and, for that, the country must be commended.
“Guyana has been on top and this is very much evident through the emphasis on the various policies that have been executed over the years in the health sector,” she elaborated.
Bynoe-Sutherland remarked that, in the world today where there are many challenges with the changing economic landscape, countries have been faced with various inefficiencies of financial sustainability but Guyana was still able to complete its NSP draft.
“Guyana has been one of the many countries to come up with a draft of the NSP on its own with the limited resources it has and this is an excellent effort,” she admitted.
Bynoe-Sutherland said Guyana continues to be a very strong example of a country that is striving for the development and modernisation of health care in the world.
Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Representative, Dr. Roslyn Hernandez joined in congratulating Guyana for the initiative which seeks to provide better and modernised health care to all its citizens.
She mentioned a few areas in the NSP which will be looked at carefully, among them care and treatment, integration and coordination.
Expounding on the area of care and treatment, Hernandez said they will be closely examined for clarity, with specific focus on adolescence, the elderly and increasing staff training.
She said these are just some of the things which will be dealt with in  touchy areas, but she lauded the efforts to put health on the front burner.
Health Minster Dr. Bheri Ramsaran said the HIV vision draft is Guyana’s road map that will also encompass new challenges which include funding for the epidemic.
He added that donor agencies are reviewing their contributions with the aim of realignment, but funds will not be reduced.