Dear Editor,
We of the Clerical & Commercial Workers’ Union commend the Govern-ment of Guyana and congratulate Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy for his leadership in the health sector and urge him to continue Guyana’s efforts in support of universal access.
Since the first case of HV was formally diagnosed in Guyana in 1987, Guyana has made significant progress in fighting HIV and now has a programme that is comprehensive and has received international recognition. Persons living with HIV are able to receive state-of
the-art treatment at no cost as well as other kinds of support. In 2001, persons living with HIV simply had to endure the agony of impending death – there was no treatment.
Guyana has an internationally recognized prevention of mother-to-child-transmission programme to which more than 80% of pregnant women have access. Prior to 2001, studies had shown an HIV prevalence rate of about 7% among pregnant women, while today the rate has dropped to 1.1%. Overall the prevalence rate has dropped to below 2%.
Prevention is the area where the health sector alone cannot accomplish the task at hand. For prevention to succeed an effort must be made to involve every possible player. The Clerical & Commercial Workers’ Union believes that the trade unions must become significant partners in the fight against HIV by providing information and in influencing behaviour among their membership. The workplace programmes must intimately involve the trade unions. All private sector companies should promote the ‘Know your status’ campaign during national testing week organized by the Ministry of Health and the National AIDS Programme Secretariat. Persons who know their positive status can obtain treatment and live productive lives.
I think the response to AIDS involves everybody. I’m the HIV/AIDS coordinator for CCWU and we educate our workers about HIV. I see more workers getting involved at the workplace level. Things are changing. I think things are getting better; the government is giving more
money to tackle AIDS, and they are asking people to get tested for HIV. Today, we are the champions and so too is Dr Leslie Ramsammy.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Clarke
HIV/AIDS Coordinator
CCWU
