Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 08, 2010 News
– Dr Shanti Singh
A total of 2,832 persons were actively receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) as at the end of last year which represents an increase from 2,473 in 2008. In fact, there has been a significant increase which is reflected in the recorded number of persons who accessed this service from 2005 (942) through 2007(1,965).
This disclosure was made by Programme Manager of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Dr Shanti Singh, when she offered an insight into the draft United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) report which was under review last Friday. This development may have been a direct correlation to the increase in HIV treatment and care programme sites over the years.
According to Dr Singh, the sites increased to 16 in 2008 compared to 14 sites in 2007 and eight sites in 2005. The programme, according to her, ensures the provision of comprehensive treatment and care and support for all persons living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). She revealed further that both first and second line treatments are available free of charge since 2002 and 2006 respectively.
And as part of the national HIV/AIDS fight there has been an implementation of the HealthQual Guyana Project, which is in fact the development of HIV Drugs Resistance Monitoring Protocol and Country Operation Plan. It is in essence a revision of the National Guidelines for the Management of HIV exposed infants and infected adults and children and the conduct of training as well as the provision of equipment to perform viral load testing.
As such, the diagnostic capacity of the treatment and care programme has been significantly enhanced with the establishment of an operational National Public Health Reference Laboratory in 2008. The lab provides CD4 testing for the national treatment programme. However, CD4 testing capabilities have been decentralised to two regional laboratories in New Amsterdam in Region Six and Linden in Region 10. “With effect from January 2010 the country will have the capacity to provide early infant diagnosis through DNA/PCR testing and viral load monitoring for the national programme.”
Dr Singh further reported that just over 800 new persons were enrolled into the home-based care programme last year compared to 790 who were enrolled the previous year. “This programme was launched in 2005 and served 1,026 persons in 2006 and 1,223 persons in 2007. Some 4,000 persons were served through the Community Home and Palliative Care Programme during 2008 and 2009.” In fact, palliative care training has extended beyond the nurses at treatment sites to all categories of nurses within the health sector, she added.
Meanwhile, she revealed that referrals between tuberculosis treatment sites and antiretroviral treatment sites were strengthened in response to the priority need to reduce the transmission of TB and the burden of the disease among HIV positive persons. According to Dr Singh, TB screening has been decentralised from the Georgetown Chest Clinic to regional sites through training of nurses, counsellors/testers and Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS) workers in the placement and reading of Mantoux tests.
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