Remarks by Hon. John Maginley

Minister of Health, Sports and Youth Affairs.
At
HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Workshop
Heriatage Hotel
17 November 2005
8.30 am

Facilitators:

Dr Julianne Steel-Duncan, Dr Lester Simon, Dr Kiran, Dr Dane Abbott, Nurses Quallis and Marc

Belinda Bady, Clinton Foundation

Dr Ramsey, Clinical Care Coordinator

Mrs. Janet Weston, AIDS Programme Manager

Dr Rhonda Sealey Thomas, Chief Medical Officer

Pastor Everton Piggott

Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacists participating in the workshop

On behalf of the Ministry of Health and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the participants attending this workshop on HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment.

I am happy to see so many health professionals here today attending this important workshop, which aims to strengthen and improve the clinical management of the HIV-infected patient.

The Caribbean Region has the second highest HIV prevalence rate of any region of the world after Sub-Saharan Africa and 9 of the 12 countries with the highest HIV prevalence in the Americas are in the Caribbean basin.

Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are becoming increasingly accessible to those who need them, and with the growth in resources from the Global Fund, the World Bank, and other donors, this accessibility promises to become even greater in the very near future.

While this is an extremely positive development, it highlights the urgent need to continue to develop the infrastructure for providing this care.

It is also equally important to train health care providers from across the Caribbean Region who will be counseling and testing for HIV.

Equally important for continued training are those charged with managing and administering therapies for HIV-infected individuals.

Earlier this week, health care providers had the opportunity to become familiar with the teachback methodology particularly focusing on the prevention of mother to child transmission.

Over the next two days, pharmacists, physicians and nurses will have the opportunity to participate in an HIV/AIDS care and treatment workshop which will promote the multidisciplinary team approach to HIV/AIDS care and support.

The availability of Anti-Retrovirals (ARVS) offer new hope for persons living with HIV/AIDS as they can improve their quality of life and help them to stay well much longer than they otherwise would.

The care and treatment of persons living with HIV/AIDS is a complicated process that requires the efforts of a multidisciplinary health care team.

The patient is a very important member of the team and should be fully involved in his or her care.

Over the next two days many important topics will be covered, such as the combination of drugs used, the adherence to the drug regimen, the role of the laboratory,opportunistic infections and the prevention of mother to child transmission.

Adherence is an essential part of treatment and it highlights the importance of patient education and their involvement in their own treatment.

I also welcome this opportunity to update health care personnel on the protocols and guidelines used in the treatment and care of HIV/AIDS patients as a standard approach will maximize effectiveness.

I would like to acknowledge those persons who have played an integral role in the organization of the workshop and would like to thank Dr. Ramsey alsoMrs. Weston APM and the staff of the AIDS Secretariat for their efforts in coordinating the workshop. We are also very fortunate to have such a group of experts facilitating the workshop.

We all have our role to play in the prevention and control of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our country and region.

By participating in this training and applying what we know and what we will learn, we will all become integral members of a team that will greatly improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Thank you and I wish you every success in your deliberations.