Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Health says it is confident it will achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2012, as outlined in its 2007-2012 Strategic Plan.

The plan focuses on universal access to prevention services, antiretroviral drugs and the commitment to providing a non-discriminatory environment for persons infected and affected by HIV.

Dr Kevin Harvey, senior medical officer in the ministry of health, said the plan is divided into four strategic areas - prevention, treatment, care and support - enabling environment and human rights and governance.

Socio-economic challenges

Harvey said cultural and socio-economic factors were the greatest obstacles in achieving universal access, but he believed it would be attained.

"We are confident," he told The Gleaner.

Some of the targets set out in the plan include testing com-mercial sex workers, men who have sex with men and antenatal population.

In the area of prevention, Harvey said the major focus was to widen the response to HIV and AIDS through structured targeted intervention in the vulnerable populations.

Focus on testing

For the treatment, care and support component, Harvey said the ministry would focus on testing persons who have been exposed, as well as the general population and provide universal access to free antiretroviral treatment for people who attend clinics in the public sector.

In the area of enabling environ-ment and human rights, Harvey said the ministry was looking to amend the Public Health Act to reflect some of the new and emerging illnesses such as malaria, the flu pandemic and HIV.

Access to contraceptives

The senior medical officer also said the ministry was again examining the treatment of minors, including access to contraceptives.

The plan, he said, would cost $200 million over the next five years.

The ministry is now coming to the end of a global fund grant valued at US$23 million (J$1.6 billion) and is to sign a new grant agreement for US$44 million (J$3.1 billion) from the Global Fund for the next five years.

The government has also taken a World Bank loan for US$10 million (J$710 million) to support the programme.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com