Caribbean AIDS Coordinators Meet in Saint Lucia

Contact: John Emmanuel

Tuesday, November 20, 2001 - National AIDS Programme Coordinators from the Caribbean are seeking to get a clearer understanding of the many resolutions signed by regional decision makers aimed at dealing with the AIDS epidemic.  Attending a November 20 & 21, 2001 meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Saint Lucia, delegates are hoping to compare notes while developing common strategies for combating the scourge.

Director of the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) Dr. James Hospedales says most of the policy issues have been worked out at the regional level and what needs to be done now is to translate these into country programmes and “to inter-lock some of the country programmes with the resources that are beginning to come into the region in larger amounts.”

With the disease taking an increasingly heavier toll on the Caribbean population, a major challenge, according to health planners, is the creation of the type of environment that would result in more persons coming forward for voluntary testing. Health officials are however encouraged by what they say are some positive signs.

“As we enter the third decade of the epidemic, we are very pleased that there is renewed emphasis on the issue of care and treatment of persons living with HIV/AIDS,” said Marcia Philbert-Jules, Permanent Secretary in Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Heath, Human Services, Family Affairs and Gender Relations.

Saint Lucia, she noted, attached tremendous significance to this and endorses fully the regional approach to negotiations with pharmaceutical companies for reduced antiretroviral drugs to make treatment more accessible and affordable.

Saint Lucia Health planners are also hoping to consolidate their efforts in providing training in clinical management while promoting interventions that will lead to greater behavioural change amidst Caribbean people in fighting the disease.

The first case of AIDS in Saint Lucia was reported in 1985, since then 309 HIV positive cases have been reported. Of these 147 have developed AIDS and 137 have died.

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