At a meeting at the Hilton Hotel, Kingston Jamaica, on 18-19 February 2002, Health Ministers of the Caribbean countries held a successful round of discussions with representatives of leading pharmaceutical Companies on access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Region. This meeting was the first stage in a process and comes close on the heels of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica developing their own national plans in partnership with United Nations agencies and the pharmaceutical industry.
At the end of the regional meeting on accelerating access to HIV/AIDS care organised by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat together with the Government of Jamaica, UNAIDS and WHO/PAHO, Health Ministers pledged to share their knowledge, expertise and experience and work together in an effort to maximise access to care among people living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. The Health Ministers also agreed on the need to increase the level of national resources spent on HIV/AIDS and agreed to develop a joint common strategy for improving access to care in the Region. The Health Ministers emphasised the need to scale-up interventions in order to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS that is depleting its work force. They placed emphasis on the development of a common framework for ensuring that HIV medicines and related services are available at affordable prices to all the countries in the Region.
“This collective action is a critical initiative of the Pan Caribbean Partnership to fight against HIV/AIDS and is yet and other attempt by CARICOM for joint strategies aimed at investments in our human resources with equity”, said Dr Eddy Greene of the CARICOM Secretariat. “With the support of the United Nations agencies and the pharmaceutical industry, the Region will develop sound infrastructure and technical capacities to meet the care need of people living with HIV/AIDS,” he told the Meeting.
Dr. Douglas Slater, Health Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines who Chaired the working session said “it is clear that we have the political will to fight HIV/AIDS and creating new partnerships in accelerating access to care is a step towards fulfilling the commitments made by us all in the Declaration of Commitment of UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS”.
This is the first time that a regional approach is undertaken to discuss joint strategies to provide HIV/AIDS care in the Region. Welcoming the start of this regional initiative on care, Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS said, “The Caribbean countries have taken an important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS by coming together to accelerate access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Region. By acting together and early, they are clearly demonstrating their political will for scaling-up. This initiative will bring hope to thousands of people living with HIV and will be a model that can be replicated in other parts of the world.”
The Caribbean Heads of Governments of the Caribbean Community had mandated the CARICOM Secretariat and the UN agencies to facilitate the process of accelerating access to care as one of the priorities of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS, which they endorsed in the Nassau Declaration (2001): The Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region.
Acknowledging the mandate given to the UN by the Region, Dr Tomris Turmen, Executive Director in charge of HIV/AIDS in WHO said “WHO will use its technical expertise in the area of HIV/AIDS care to support the Caribbean countries in their challenging commitment”.
This meeting brought together delegations from eight Caribbean countries including six Health Ministers, five pharmaceutical companies and UN agencies. CARICOM Countries represented were: The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
