Dear Editor,
Congratulations to the Ministry of Health for the `Put it On Road Show’.
The activity in New Amsterdam was a fascinating one, as I saw Guyanese of all ages were able to have hands-on experience in condom education. It was amazing to see young people from the Ministry of Health interacting with people who can be their mothers and fathers without any inhibition, especially when dealing with such a sensitive issue as condoms and sex.
I was amazed to see the amount of men who took the challenge to do a condom demonstration (both male and female) in public, and in front of the camera.
This is indeed a quantum leap for HIV education in Guyana. I would like to urge the Ministry of Health to expand this campaign to all the regions of Guyana, especially where Guyanese are at high risk.
It would be foolhardy to do this just along the coast, when there are many Guyanese who do not get the benefits of the mass media campaigns. I would also like to encourage the good minister to replicate this intervention to deal with other issues, such as alcohol, drugs and suicide, just to name a few. Mr. Minister, if you want to be serious in mitigating the threat of HIV and other serious illness, then you need to get your soldiers into the fields, in the trenches and in the hot sun (as the wonderful young people did in New Amsterdam) last Saturday. I would once again encourage you to expand this Road Show, `Put It On’ in all the regions of Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Brian Singh
