Media Releases – Page 16

New PANCAP Director Appointed

Wednesday 26 February 2020 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) welcomes the appointment of Dr Rosmond Adams as the new Director effective 2 March 2020.

A Vincentian by birth, Dr Adams is a Medical Doctor by training and holds Master of Science degrees in both Public Health and Bioethics. He is a public health specialist with more than ten years of experience in the health sector both at the national and regional levels in the areas of surveillance, communicable diseases including HIV, emergency response and health security.

Dr Adams began his public health career as the Coordinator of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) programme in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He then served as the National Epidemiologist where his work focused on strengthening public health surveillance and strategic information to guide health policy, programmes and action.

In his previous post, he served as the Head of Health Information, Communicable Diseases and Emergency Response at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) where he led the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Caribbean Regional Health Security Strategy as a common strategic framework for the CARPHA Member States to strengthen their capacity to manage and respond to emerging disease threats and other public health emergencies.

Dr Adams serves on numerous national, regional and international public health advisory committees, including the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Coordinating Mechanism (GCM) on NCDs. Asked about his immediate priority, the Director emphasised that the sustainability of the region’s HIV response is paramount. “The HIV and AIDS epidemic is a threat to Regional Health Security considering that our productive population is being impacted,” stated Dr Adams, “I am optimistic that the region can end AIDS, but a lot of work must be done and the gains made so far must be sustained whilst ensuring that we scale up our response and renew our commitment to this goal”.

Dr Adams succeeds Mr Dereck Springer whose tenure ends on 28 February 2020.

-ENDS –

What is PANCAP?

PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organisations, regional institutions and organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners which was established on 14 February 2001. PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilises resources and build capacity of partners.

Contact:

Timothy Austin
Senior Project Officer, Communications
PANCAP Coordinating Unit
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana
Email: taustin.consultant@caricom.org
Tel: (592) 222-0001-06, Ext. 3409 | Visit www.PANCAP.org

Helpful links:

History of PANCAP
https://pancap.org/who-we-are/about-pancap/history-of-pancap/

PANCAP’s achievements
https://pancap.org/who-we-are/about-pancap/achievements/

PANCAP’s Executive Board
https://pancap.org/who-we-are/governance-bodies/executive-board/

PANCAP Knowledge Exchange promotes successful models of care for key populations

Friday 14 February 2020 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, has collaborated with the Integral Orientation and Research Center/Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN) to facilitate a learning exchange focused on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and successful HIV testing strategies for key populations to access prevention and treatment. The capacity-building initiative will be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 17-21 February 2020. The two entities previously collaborated on a learning journey in June 2018.

The initiative is led by Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony, Knowledge Coordinator, PANCAP, who explained that the learning exchange was designed for participants to experience first-hand the process utilised by COIN to coordinate and collaborate with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, other civil society organisations and stakeholders to deliver comprehensive HIV services in communities and to key populations.

The learning exchange will also expose participants to components of a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme, which serves as a highly effective prevention modality, and successful HIV testing and linkage strategies for key populations.

At the conclusion of the learning exchange, participants will be tasked with developing country-specific action plans to enhance in-country collaboration among civil society organisations and representatives of the national HIV programme to improve how key populations access prevention, testing and treatment.

Countries participating in the learning exchange are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Participants will comprise country teams of National AIDS Programme Managers and civil society organisation (CSO) representatives. A total of ten persons from the six countries will participate and interact with representatives of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, Dominican Republic, COIN, and other CSO representatives. Participants will also engage with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, National HIV response and community-based organisations through site visits to clinics and outreaches.

The learning exchange is supported with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

-ENDS –

What is PANCAP?

What is the Integral Orientation and Research Center/Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN)?

The Integral Orientation and Research Center/Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN) is a private, social interest institution of the Dominican Republic, created on November 28, 1988, by a multidisciplinary team of people with shared experience in community and health work. Born as a result of the emergence of the HIV and AIDS epidemic and trafficking in persons in the Dominican Republic, COIN has concentrated its efforts on implementing educational programmes.

COIN’s programmes focus on prevention, health care and social discrimination. The entity implements innovative strategies and approaches that serve to empower key populations. In their work with marginalized populations, COIN promotes the integration of the community in the identification of their needs and problems and works with them to define policies and execute solutions. COIN currently operates in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti with 82 staff.

Contact:

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 2020 – 2022 Funding Allocation

In this news bulletin from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, PANCAP members and partners are asked to note the 2020-2022 fund allocations for the Region. For more information on the Global Fund’s allocation, click here.

Director’s Message – January 2020

Despite the substantial resources invested in the Caribbean region, we continue to be challenged by inadequate and unreliable data to help us to describe our epidemic accurately and inform programming. While significant progress has been made, the region is behind in achieving the 90-90-90 Targets by the end of 2020. The Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF) 2019-2025 acknowledges that insufficient data-driven programming limits efforts to efficiently target activities to the geographic locations and populations in greatest need. The CRSF therefore, recognises that there is an urgent need to define a regional HIV research agenda that aligns with the priorities outlined in the CRSF, and which is anchored in the established academic institutions of the region.

Over the last three years, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has expanded a regional data repository to facilitate reporting on the CRSF indicators, thus providing an opportunity to simplify reporting by enabling country reporting to be streamlined and shared with other organisations as needed (CRSF 2019-2025). However, data gaps persist, as data were available for only 13 of the 28 indicators for the CRSF 2014-2018, largely because of limited site-level data management and slow reporting to national levels. While key population size estimates have improved, data collection from civil society organisations remains a gap. CARPHA has been working with countries to develop strategic information action plans to improve reporting.

Given our current reality, defining the regional HIV research agenda is high on PANCAP’s list of priorities for 2020. In this regard, the Priority Areas Coordinating Committee (PACC) has provided guidance to the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Working Group on Health on the process for determining the research agenda as well as the monitoring and evaluation needs which will be costed subsequently. This process is crucial for guiding research efforts and site-level available resources. The agenda would include among others, research, testing, treatment, adherence, retention, service delivery, and stigma and discrimination, that would inform regional policy change and improve outcomes for People living with and affected by HIV and key populations.

Implementation of the research agenda requires a paradigm shift, from thinking about data for reporting to thinking about data for use throughout programming. We must be cognizant of the need to also invest in data systems that inform programming. Successful implementation of the research agenda specifically requires the support of our universities that possess the skills to conduct such research, donor support and commitment from our national partners to facilitate the collection of data. Given the urgency, let us all commit to supporting the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Working Group on Health to define a regional HIV research agenda.

Jamaica combats lack of knowledge about human rights, HIV and gender-based violence

To combat the lack of knowledge about human rights, HIV and gender-based violence among Jamaicans, the National Family Planning Board and its partners executed the “Rispek” Public Education Tour. The tour aimed to provide information on sexual and reproductive health, including HIV, to promote human rights and respect for others, and provide education on the social and legal aid services available to the public.

The tour was launched in August 2019 and consisted of eight phases. Communities within eight of the fourteen parishes in Jamaica benefited from the activities. These communities were selected for Targeted Community Interventions (TCIs) by the Regional Health Authorities, based on vulnerability and incidences of violence and HIV. Community members were also able to access free HIV testing and other healthcare services.

PEPFAR commences 2020 Regional Operational Planning Process

By Victoria Nibarger, PEPFAR Coordinator, Caribbean Regional Programme

During the week of 27 January 2019, the Caribbean Regional Program of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) kicked off its 2020 Regional Operational Planning process, which covers the FY21 implementation period.

Following two days of internal meetings, PEFPAR hosted a number of regional stakeholders in Kingston for a three-day strategic planning meeting. Participants of the meeting reviewed FY20 achievements, current activities, and discussed the approaches needed to accelerate progress towards epidemic control.

Attendees included ministry of health officials, civil society representatives, private clinicians, multilateral organisation representatives, implementing partners, and others.

CMLF highlights OECS Member States’ Laboratory Achievements

At the OECS Ministers Policy Meeting held in December 2019, the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation (CMLF) highlighted the achievements made by OECS Member States with respect to their laboratory services. During the meeting, Honourable Mary Issacs, Minister of Health and Wellness, Saint Lucia presented a Certificate to Antigua & Barbuda’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, recognising the achievement of Mount St. John’s Medical Centre (MSJMC) Laboratory in meeting Tier 1 requirements of the Caribbean Laboratory Quality Management Systems – Stepwise Improvement Process (LQMS-SIP) in August 2019.

Also recognised were Grenada and Saint Lucia for efforts regarding the National Laboratory Policy adoption. Both countries have approved policies. Draft legislation and National Laboratory Policy have been submitted to the Attorney General’s Office by the respective Ministries of Health in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Kitts and Nevis. At a meeting of Permanent Secretaries, Chief Medical Officers and their representatives, hosted by CMLF in November 2019, a “common implementation plan” was developed for the adoption and implementation of national laboratory policies and legislation within the six OECS Member States that are participants in the OECS Global Fund Continuation Grant for HIV and TB Elimination (HTEP).

Under the HTEP, four OECS Member States, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have received and introduced, with appropriate training, GeneXpert technology for molecular testing. The public laboratories in these countries have begun to utilise GeneXpert for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) and drug resistance testing as well as for HIV Viral Load testing. GeneXpert testing has been integrated into the algorithm for TB diagnosis in these countries as part of their plans for TB Elimination. Plans are underway for expansion of testing to include Chlamydia and Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) for HIV.

Dominica and Saint Kitts and Nevis will receive GeneXpert technology and training early in 2020 under this GF HTEP. The introduction of this technology within the OECS represents a significant step forward for these small island states, in providing capacity to conduct molecular testing on this multiplex platform for a wide and expanding variety of infectious diseases.

In an important step forward, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has become the first OECS country to assign a separate budget to its public laboratory services. Discussions at both Ministers and National Lab Policy and Legislation Implementation meetings focused on strategies for addressing the ongoing challenge of financial and human resource deficiencies in these countries to improve resources for laboratory services.

Belize’s Equal Opportunity Bill intends to enhance quality of life

Image: Mr Enrique Romero, Executive Director of the National AIDS Commission (NAC) during the Equal Opportunity Bill press conference

Belize’s Anti-Discrimination Steering Committee (ASC) has commenced public engagement and education on the proposed Equal Opportunity Bill (EOB).

The Bill intends to improve the lives of all Belizeans by ensuring equal access to public services, including health care. The legislation aims to remove barriers so that all Belizeans can enjoy the same opportunities regardless of circumstances. It seeks to protect Belizeans from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. The areas of public life covered under the Bill include employment (full-time, part-time and casual), provision of goods and services, education, accommodation (including rental and hotel accommodation), sport, club and club membership, transfer of land and administration of laws and programming.

HIV Prevention and Care

The EOB makes specific reference to HIV prevention and care. It prohibits screening for HIV regarding employment and education. It promotes the implementation of sanctions for breaches of confidentiality regarding HIV status. The legislation also advocates for allowing persons over the age of 16 to access HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention, testing and treatment to lower risks of HIV transmission, sickness or death.

In addition, the EOB supports the formation of an Equal Opportunities Tribunal; a specialist court integrated into the Justice System with the rank of a supreme court.

Champions of the Bill

The organisations championing the EOB are the National AIDS Commission (NAC), the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation, Poverty Alleviation and the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children. Several prominent Belizeans and implementers are also lending their voices to advocate for the Bill including Mrs Kim Simplis Barrow, Special Envoy for Women and Children and Spouse of the Prime Minister, Mr Enrique Romero, Executive Director of the NAC, Attorney Randall Sheppard, Senior Crown Counsel in the Ministry of the Attorney General, and Attorney Rashad Brathwaite, independent consultant and legal drafter.

The ASC has engaged with several critical stakeholders to foster knowledge about the EOB including the National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB), National Trade Union Council of Belize (NTUCB), Christian Workers’ Union (CWU), etc.

In addition, a press conference was held to provide an overview of the Bill, including a background of how the legislation originated and how it will provide protection for all Belizeans.

The Bill will significantly enhance the quality of life in Belize by removing the systemic barriers to equality and empowering Belizeans to fulfil their potential and live happy, healthy and peaceful lives.

– ENDS –

New Chair and Vice Chair Elected To PANCAP-CVC-COIN Technical Advisory Group For the Multi-Country Caribbean Global Fund Grant

Tuesday 28 January 2020 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, extends congratulations to Mr Roger McLean and Dr Gail Gajadhar who were elected Chair and Vice-Chair respectively of the PANCAP-CVC-COIN Technical Advisory Group for the Multi-Country Caribbean Global Fund Grant QRA-H-CARICOM 1838 titled “Sustainability of services for Key Populations in the Caribbean”.

Mr McLean is a Research Fellow/Lecturer HEU, the Centre for Health Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Dr Gajadhar is the Senior Medical Officer, Infectious Diseases Unit, The Department of Health and Wellness in Saint Lucia.

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is a regional, multi-sectoral body with a mandate to provide oversight to the PANCAP/CVC/COIN Global Fund Grant. That oversight includes ensuring that the implementation of the grant is focused, efficient and flexible, i.e. the TAG ensures that the execution is focused on the right activities, for the right populations and in the right places, in accordance with the performance framework of the PANCAP/CVC/COIN Global Fund Grant. The TAG also ensures that there is efficient use of available resources.

In addition to the election of the new Chair and Vice-Chair, the TAG conducted an orientation of members on governance, oversight functions, management of conflicts of interest, and internal and external communication as well as a reviewing and endorsing of its oversight role and communications plan.

The success of the grant is critical to the Region achieving the 90-90-90 Targets as its objectives are aligned with PANCAP’s vision of an AIDS-free Caribbean.

What is PANCAP?

Editor’s Notes

TAG Membership

The TAG consists of representatives from PANCAP including the PANCAP Priority Areas Coordinating Committee (PACC), Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), and El Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN) as grant owners; representatives from key population networks including recognised networks of Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV), Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), Transgender persons (TRANS), Sex Workers (SW), vulnerable youth and people who use drugs. Technical & implementing partners include the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation (CMLF), University of the West Indies – HIV and AIDS Response Programme (UWI-HARP), Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies Rights Advocacy Project (URAP), Regional Body Representing Faith-Based Organisations; Principal Recipient, CARICOM, representatives of the CCMs of each project country (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago). The TAG also includes Ex-office executives from PANCAP, CVC and COIN and three observers from UN/Multilateral Agencies/International Development Partners including UNAIDS, PEPFAR and UNDP.

Contact:

Helpful links:

Multi-Country Caribbean Global Fund Grant QRA-H-CARICOM 1838 “Sustainability of services for Key Populations in the Caribbean – project page

https://pancap.org/pancap-work/multi-country-caribbean-global-fund-grant-qra-h-caricom-1838-sustainability-of-services-for-key-populations-in-the-caribbean/

PANCAP-CVC-COIN awarded Multi-country Caribbean Global Fund Grant

https://pancap.org/pancap-releases/pancap-cvc-coin-awarded-multi-country-caribbean-global-fund-grant/

Global AIDS Update 2018 – Miles to Go:

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/global-aids-update-2018-miles-to-go/

Public Education commences on Belize’s Equal Opportunities Bill

January 2020 – Belize City, Belize: The Anti-Discrimination Steering Committee hosted a press conference with Breaking Belize News, Channel 5, Channel 7, Krem News, Love News, Plus TV, and the Government of Belize Press Office.

During the meeting, journalists were provided with an overview of the Equal Opportunities Bill, including the background of how this legislation has come to be and how it will provide protection for all Belizeans and dismantle the systemic barriers to equality.

The organizations championing the Equal Opportunities Bill, namely the National AIDS Commission (NAC), the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation, Poverty Alleviation and the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children, would like to thank the journalists who attended today’s meeting and engaged with the panel, composed of Mrs Kim Simplis Barrow (Special Envoy for Women and Children and Spouse of the Prime Minister), Mr Enrique Romero (Director Executive of the NAC), Attorney Randall Sheppard (Senior Crown Counsel in the Ministry of the Attorney General), and Attorney Rashad Brathwaite (independent consultant and legal drafter).

The goal of this legislation is to improve the lives of all Belizeans. The Bill will create a fairer society with improved public services, where businesses and everyday citizens can thrive. Our Constitution establishes the general principles for us to aspire to such a society, the Equal Opportunities Act will give us the practical tools and mechanisms to make this into a reality for all.

We encourage all Belizeans to make their voices heard. You too can take part in the consultation process around this Bill. Please send your submissions and requests for information or for a meeting with the technical team to the National AIDS Commission at the contact details below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Equality Opportunities Bill Press Conference

National AIDS Commission

3803 Durgeon Drive, Coral Grove, Belize City

Email: info@nacbelize.org

Website: www.nacbelize.org

Facebook: National AIDS Commission

Office number & WhatsApp: 610-5051