Guyana's HIV/AIDS records inadequate says health official

Wednesday, October 8, 2003

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Record-keeping for Georgetown- based treatment of HIV/AIDS persons was not consistent and, as a result, objective data could not be provided.

That's the opinion of Programme Manager of Guyana's National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), Dr Morris Edwards. 

Stabroek News, a local newspaper, recently quoted the doctor as saying that as a result of this finding, NAPS is putting in place better record-keeping for the programme set to start in the regions. NAPS is taking the ARV programme to the Suddie Regional Hospital, the West Demerara Regional Hospital, the New Amsterdam Hospital and the Upper Demerara Hospital in Linden.

Concerns have been raised about the measures in place to effectively monitor the success of the programme: whether persons were taking the drugs, whether anyone had ceased treatment and if so, what was being done to bring them back, and how many people had died since the start of the programme.

The programme aims to make ARVs available free of cost to persons with HIV/ AIDS without their having to travel to the city.

Edwards said that the programme, which commenced in December 2001, has been under review since August and a report should come out in a month's time, Stabroek News said.

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