Jamaica's efforts to fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS was Wednesday boosted with an additional US$44m (J$3.1b) grant from the Global Fund.
The grant, which will be received this month, is based on the new National Strategic Plan 2007-2012, which aims at achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and support. It focuses on the three priority areas of prevention, treatment, care and support and enabling environment and human rights.
Speaking Wednesday during the launch of the fund, Ruddy Spencer, minister of health and environment, said just over US$12 million (J$864m) has been earmarked for prevention, US$25 million (J$1.8b) for treatment and over US$7 million (J$504m) will be dedicated to enabling environment and human rights as well as monitoring, evaluation and administration.
Spencer, who was addressing members of the media at the Ministry of Health's downtown Kingston headquarters, said under the prevention component, the ministry plans to scale up interventions for socially vulnerable and marginalised populations and those who are considered to be more at risk.
Family life curriculum
The minister noted that the prevention component will also help to support a revised health and family life curriculum.
This curriculum, he said, will ensure that sex education and HIV prevention will be integrated into the regular instruction in most schools.
The health minister said as the ministry moves towards universal access, the treatment, care and support component will seek to accommodate up to 7,500 persons who are in need of treatment and ensure that they adhere to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.
More than 4,000 persons, including children, living with HIV are now on ARV treatment. There will be interventions geared to monitor and prevent drug resistance and improve standardised methods of tracking adherence and ARV resistance.
Estimated infected
The Ministry of Health estimates that between 25,000 and 30,000 Jamaicans have HIV. Of that total, 15,000 are unaware of their status.
In 2004, Jamaica received a grant from the Global Fund. All the key indicators were achieved. Spencer announced that based on the country's track record, Jamaica is also qualified to receive an additional grant of up to US$23 million (J$1.65b) from the Global Fund.
In his remarks, Professor Peter Figueroa, who has retired from the Ministry of Health, said if Jamaica is to make further progress in controlling the epidemic, several social issues must be addressed.
He urged the Government to empower public health specialists to communicate more on these issues.
