VIENNA, Austria (CMC) — Chairman of the Pan Caribbean Agreement Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) Ann Peters says she is confident that despite cuts in global funding, the Caribbean will continue providing adequate care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. “What may be happening around the region is based on some of the funding we have been having from the global fund. There will be some residue amount of monies that we can use to continue to provide treatment for persons living with HIV/AIDS,” said Peters, who is also Grenada’s Health Minister.
Peters, who attended the just concluded 18th International AIDS Conference here, told the Caribbean Media Corporation that despite the cutbacks she remains confident that the region can continue its HIV/AIDS education, prevention, care and treatment and awareness programmes,” she said.
“So these are some of the challenges that we have. But I think that what we are going to see is a call for us as a region to become even more resilient and creative in finding ways and means to support what I call the strength of our programmes.
She said that PANCAP and the nine-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) were now preparing for the new cycle of global funding projects.
“When we come together we spend fewer resources in preparations …because in preparation for these rounds, countries are called upon to expend a lot of resources, both human and financial,” she added.