Fear of detainment hindering HIV/AIDS fight
Published:Thursday | March 17, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Nassau, Bahamas (CMC):
Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has told a regional HIV/AIDS seminar that fear of detainment is among the factors hindering local efforts to expand programmes to curb the spread of the deadly virus in the Bahamas.
But Dr Minnis said one of the mechanisms that have made The Bahamas' National HIV/AIDS Programme so successful since its establishment 23 years ago is its focus on oversight, planning, training, and coordination and evaluation of the national response to HIV/AIDS.
main focus
"Our focus has always been on prevention of transmission of HIV and the comprehensive care of the individuals infected with HIV, so access to health care, regardless of immigration status, is a tenet of the Ministry of Health," Dr Minnis told delegates attending the Caribbean Regional HIV Prevention Summit on the Most At-Risk Persons and Other Vulnerable Populations (OVP).
He said that The Bahamas had implemented a number of policies and practices over the years aimed at reaching most at-risk persons and other vulnerable populations.