The tragic stories of teenagers who were both rejected by their families as a result of their HIV positive status are what pushed Dr Niccollette Boatswain to join in the fight against the virus in Guyana.
There was the teenager who lost her mother at a young age to AIDS and then contracted HIV herself after repeated rapes by her father, only to be shunned by family members. There is also the story of an orphaned 16-year-old, who was born with HIV and was forced to spend several nights in an abandoned building because of the constant rejection of family and friends.
“These stories broke my heart. It seems clichéd but I’ve been blessed with a burden,” she told Stabroek Weekend in a recent interview.
“I was recommended for the job, took it and the rest is history. Never thought I’d be working in public health, but for now I can’t see myself anywhere else,” she continued.
The job she speaks about is Deputy Programme Manager of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) and before that the married mother of a two-year-old daughter worked as a Government Medical Officer at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Prior to joining NAPS, Dr Boatswain said she always took her job seriously since working with patients has always been “near and dear to my heart.”
“I was dealing with persons’ lives after all, and so I made it my business to show kindness, respect and compassion. I do the same in my current post. Those virtues make the difference. They are extremely valuable, yet it doesn’t cost us much to display them,” she posited.
And today it is those who are living and affected by HIV/AIDS that keep her motivated as she pointed out that every day they have to fight, to stay healthy and positive.
“If they don’t give up then I can’t either,” she stressed.
There are hundreds of Guyanese, along with regional and international partners who have toiled and sacrificed to bring the country’s national response to where it is today.
“I don’t take that for granted, and so I refuse to give up. Trust me, I have had my moments. Then there are those who are HIV negative and need the necessary resources to stay that way. I will not give up on them either,” she said.
Anyone who meets Dr Boatswain will quickly realise that that she loves Guyana, and according to her she loves the country’s people in general.
While it is established that she is passionate about her work, Dr Boatswain is also a Christian and publicly declared her relationship with her Lord, whom said she brought her this far, “for a purpose and with everything I have I will fulfil it. I don’t care who likes it or not.”
Acknowledge
Specifically asked what more could be done in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Dr Boatswain said Guyanese need to acknowledge and accept their responsibility in the fight against HIV and other non-HIV Sexually Transmitted Infections.
“As much as the National AIDS Programme Secretariat is responsible for managing the response, Guyanese must recognise their individual duties and rights in HIV prevention, treatment and the overall reduction of stigma and discrimination. We can put the messages out there, but our citizens must take on a sense of intentionality when engaging with each other regarding these issues,” she furthered.
And as to how young people can become more involved in the fight, she said that they need to be engaged and empowered. NAPS is engaging young people, she said, but they need to be empowered to engage each other. She pointed out that information is key and working with young people to ensure that they have the necessary tools to make informed decisions regarding their health should never be taken for granted.
“As we engage, we will be able to ascertain if the message is impactful and effective. The feedback is important, there must be a mechanism where the target groups let us know that the means we are using to reach them are the most innovative and relevant,” she continued.
Civil society is important in the HIV/AIDS fight and the deputy head of NAPS pointed out that they will always play an integral role in the national HIV response, particularly interventions that target key populations. This, she said, includes HIV prevention services – testing and counselling, sensitisation and peer education, case navigation – but can extend to activities such as community mobilisation and strategy development.
NAPS has since started its Social Contracting Initiative, which in is essence a contractual agreement that the Ministry of Public Health enters into with civil society organisations to work to provide HIV prevention services to members of the key populations (most at risk groups).
And she said NAPS has always involved persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in the decision-making process.
“A large segment of what we do is to serve this group, so we consistently involve them. There is an open-door policy for PLHIV; [they] can always contact us, to share concerns. But we do have support groups established for those persons, we try to provide psychosocial support to the members. Nutritional support is another important aspect of the support we offer. So, with a referral from the doctor at the treatment site, persons can receive food hampers from the NAPS Food Bank,” she shared.
NAPS also holds quarterly feedback meetings allowing the members of the PLHIV community to share concerns and in the development of guidelines and HIV strategies they work to include representatives from this community in the developmental process.
As to where she would like to see the HIV fight in another five years, Dr Boatswain said she hopes to see reduced infections rates for all age groups and reduced stigma and discrimination. She also wants to see increased community-based participation in the response, increased percentage of infected persons being virally suppressed, strengthened efforts towards behaviour change communication.
Speaking to young people Dr Boatswain said, “HIV infection does not discriminate. There is no one particular race, socioeconomic group that HIV infection targets, anyone can be infected, so that means that everyone engaging in consensual sex, should get the necessary information to make informed decisions. This does not exclude couples; don’t depend on your partner’s results to make decisions about yourself.”
And while she encourages abstinence and she stressed that if a young person takes that option, they should know it is their right and disregard the opinions of others. But if they choose not to abstain then they should protect themselves.
‘As long as I can remember’
Talking about her journey to becoming a doctor, Dr Boatswain said she had wanted it “for as long as I can remember,” even though there was a moment when she considered being a pilot. “I may still go for it one day who knows,” she added.
Talking about herself, the young doctor said she is “unashamedly, unapologetically a believer in Jesus Christ.”
“I am a Guyanese woman who is cognisant of her potential to impact the health sector in some way. I am here to make my contribution and I refuse to let anyone stop me. There is purpose in me, and I refuse to die not doing what God planned for me to do,” she continued.
She asks her God daily to remain humble so that she can learn and grow as she is aware that growth and personal development are no joke and she is committed to this.
“I don’t believe in dulling anyone’s shine to feel good about myself either. I cheer for everyone; there is great bondage in insecurity and jealousy,” she added.
And while she has had her challenges, she has no intention of giving up.
While she was born in Georgetown and spent most of her formative years in North Ruimveldt, Dr. Boatswain moved to the East Coast Demerara at the age of 14.
She said she has had a wonderful childhood and she credits this to her mother, Lerline Lewis, who helped her to know the Lord. “I always did well at school. I loved reading. I devoured books. I still try reading about 20 books a year. Leaders must be readers,” she commented.
She attended the Bishops’ High and then Queens College for sixth form and according to her she has always participated in debating competitions, elocution and drama competitions. And while public speaking doesn’t faze her, she describes herself as an introvert.
She mentioned that Professor Clive Thomas and his wife Hyacinth Massay-Thomas are her mentors (she calls them Uncle Clive and Aunty Cynthia) as they took her in and mentored her from the age of 15. “They took me under their wings, and I was never the same,” she said.