| With hopes of entering 2013 with a clear-cut guide to its Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) fight, the Ministry of Health through its National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) on Friday, last,Cheap Shoes Australia Online, held the final in a series of consultations for a new National Strategic Plan.From left: Doctors Sonia Alexander, Shanti Singh and Roberto Bant Campos.Discussions about the plan being dubbed HIVision 2020, which is expected to plot the way forward for the next seven years, were engaged at the Grand Coastal Inn, Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara.According to Programme Manager of NAPS, Dr Shanti Singh,Wholesale Jerseys, the strategy is premised on the need to craft a plan to integrate strategies that will ensure that the HIV response is sustained, in light of reducing financial donor support.Crafting the plan has seen efforts being made to look at financial sustainability, and ways to improve efficiency, coordination and accountability, among other factors that would lend to the national HIV fight being sustained, even as national goals in this regard are achieved, Dr Singh said.“In this current (draft) document I think there is much more focus on the most at-risk populations, because we have used the evidence that we have garnered over the years to really guide what we have put into this new strategy.”Dr Singh said that the new plan caters to gathering more evidence in terms of operations research,Andre Branch Dolphins Jersey, which in fact speaks to “how we do our work currently and how we can do it better? So there is going to be a greater focus on operations research.”Added to this, the proposed plan, which has seen contribution from about 200 individuals already, will guide the way towards discontinuing an existing parallel response and integrate the HIV response across all sectors as part of the national response, Dr Singh disclosed.Friday’s meeting saw the attendance of a number of stakeholders, who were placed into working groups with a view of helping to fine-tune the draft of the strategic plan which has been gaining the attention of proficient public health consultant Dr Sonia Alexander.Dr Alexander, who is currently affiliated with both the Pan American Health Organisation and UNAIDS, was on hand Friday to present details on the current status of the plan,Wholesale Jerseys Cheap, which was completely formulated by key health officials with her expert input.According to her,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, it is imperative that the final document reflects the needs of the people of Guyana and no one else, thus it is crucial that “we address those needs and plan strategically so that we can see hope at the end of the road where we see zero new infections,Cheap Jerseys, zero stigma and discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths.”The final HIVision consultation in session.Despite Friday’s meeting being one that will allow the finalisation of the National Strategic plan, Dr Alexander intimated that there are likely to be at least five drafts before the final document is ready. With this objective in mind the forum saw efforts being made to deliberate on priority areas of the draft plan, among them prevention and elimination, care, treatment and support as well as coordination and integration.Aided by its HIVision, the Ministry of Health’s HIV-fighting arm is poised to help bring a halt to the scourge of HIV/AIDS, according to UNAIDS Country Representative, Dr Roberto Bant Campos. He revealed that some 10 years ago “we were completely desperate with the epidemic all around the world and we could not have foreseen any good.” He noted that there is now good news to share, as there is now serious talk about an AIDS-free generation.“What we can foresee for Guyana…is an end to the epidemic; we can halt it and accomplish the Millennium Development Goal Six (MDG6) which says that we will halt the epidemic by 2015.” Dr Campos lauded the efforts of the local health sector to plan even beyond the 2015 timeline with a view of ending the HIV epidemic altogether in Guyana by 2020.HIVision 2020 is expected to channel more attention towards dealing with some of the mobile populations such as miners and loggers even as efforts are intensified in the area of educating adolescents and young adults.According to Dr Singh, “not only are we going to be having more focus on the most at-risk populations,Cheap NFL Jerseys Store, but at the same time, we will be monitoring closely to ensure that there is a high quality of service.” |
