Dr. Richard N. Amenyah, regional director of the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), has commended Jamaica for its efforts in combating HIV/AIDS.
He was speaking at the recent Health Connect Jamaica (HCJ) inaugural dinner and awards banquet.
The event themed ‘Celebrating Innovation and Achievement,’ recognized the HCJ network’s triumphs in Jamaica as well as the stakeholders who have worked to provide quick, private, and affordable access to HIV treatment and care services.
For the fiscal year 2022/23, the Government is spending $1 billion on the National HIV/AIDS Response in Jamaica Project.
This effort seeks to reduce AIDS-related morbidity and mortality through effective biomedical and supportive interventions, as well as to reduce new HIV infections among key populations through behavioral and structural initiatives.
Dr. Amenyah acknowledged the significant contribution of stakeholders of the private sector in the national HIV/AIDS response, inclusive of the members of the HCJ network.
“This is cause for celebration and [augers well] for the future of the HIV response in Jamaica if we have private sector contributing like the way we have today,” he said.
The HCJ network comprises private doctors, laboratories, pharmacies, and psychologists who provide clients with HIV clinical treatment and additional support services.
Dr. Amenyah applauded the award recipients for their professionalism, love, and care for their patients, noting that they are impacting lives.
“This is the future of healthcare. Thank you for the work that you put into this,” he said.
HCJ was established in October 2019, to increase access to HIV-specific primary health services and is located in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.
It is funded by the United States President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, through the United States Agency for International Development.
The activity brings Jamaica’s private sector healthcare providers into national HIV epidemic control efforts. Health Connect Jamaica is building a network of clinicians that target HIV/AIDS patients. The network models ways in which the private sector can play an official role in Jamaica’s vision for multisectoral HIV/AIDS care, as described in the country’s HIV National Strategic Plan.
