The Medical Research Centre in Port-of-Spain has extended its hours to facilitate HIV/Aids patients as they still face the stigma and discrimination by being unable to get time off from work to access drugs and counselling.
In other cases patients either cannot afford to travel to the centre or do not have food so they are unable to take their medication.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, who toured the centre on Friday along with personnel from the US Embassy, including Chargé d’Affaires John McIntyre and Public Affairs officer AJ Jagelski, said the US Government has been instrumental in the award of grants to ensure initiatives were sustained.
The minister said through grants from the US’s President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (PEPFAR) programme bus tickets and meal drinks like Ensure, were bought for needy patients.
The centre has of 6,250 patients of which approximately 72 per cent were on antiretroviral drugs, 15 per cent were enrolled but not actively on antiretroviral treatment, nine per cent were deemed as “loss to follow up” as they missed their clinic appointments for over a year and approximately one per cent of patients were reported to be out of care, which included 37 reported deaths, 23 transfers and nine migrated.
Deyalsingh said two “patient trackers” were recently hired, also with funds from the grants to follow-up with patients who missed clinic appointments.
He said the trackers reached 646 out of 990 patients who missed their clinic appointments, which resulted in 81 per cent of the contacted clients returning to HIV care.
Saying that the monies from PEPFAR was free, the minister said the previous administration did not take advantage of this.
“We revived PEPFAR coming into office,” Deyalsingh said.
McIntyre, who said he was impressed by the work done at the centre, said if money was not being spent then the US Government would then move such funds elsewhere.
“In one year we have transitioned this entire programme around and then we can build on that success. We have spent money, we have achieved success and we have patients who are happy and who are being followed up on,” McIntyre said.
The centre is opened after hours from 3 pm to 6 pm including the lab and pharmacy.
HIV patient advocate Conrad Mitchell, who also spoke, said HIV ran the gamut of age and race, adding many were living with the virus.
“We must move past the fact of HIV/Aids and how that is perceived by the nation. There are many people who are living with HIV and it is no longer something to die from or to fear.
“It’s about living with it not dying from it,” Mitchell said.