AIDS committee: People unaware of anti-retroviral treatment sites

The National AIDS Coordinating Committee (NACC) said steady progress has been made in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)  through capacity building and anti-retroviral therapy, but stigma, discrimination and neglect within the health care profession are threatening to roll back the gains made so far. The NACC said part of the problem is lack of awareness, among the affected population, of the recommended sites for accessing the Health Ministry’s free Anti-retroviral Treatment Programme.

“Once there is lack of awareness, some may continue to seek treatment from a multitude of sources, sometimes at great expense,” the NACC said. Free care and treatment to PLWHA are available at the Medical Research Foundation, Queen’s Park East; San Fernando General Hospital (Ward 2), the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital and Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope; the Cyril Ross Nursery, Tunapuna; the Scarborough Regional Hospital and the Health Promotion Clinic, Tobago. The public is advised to call the National AIDS Hotline at 625-AIDS (2437) to access referrals and general advice.

The NACC said it has also been addressing neglect and discrimination in the health field. In August, the NACC and Lutheran US-Caribbean HIV/AIDS Twinning Initiative in collaboration with the Health Ministry, hosted a two-day workshop to sensitise health workers to   issues relating to HIV/AIDS and management. Topics covered in the sessions included Understanding Anti-retroviral Therapy, Early Recognition of HIV/AIDS in Primary Care Practice, Mother to Child Transmission and Sexually Transmitted Infections: The Impact on HIV Infection. The NACC said the ministry will continue capacity building, following the recent launch of the health sector HIV/AIDS Prevention Treatment and Care Plan.