The Catholic Church in Guyana is to increase its involvement in the fight against AIDS through the establishment of a step-down hospice for People Living with AIDS. The unit will provide clinical and social rehabilitative services and end-of-life care.

The David Rose Boys Hostel will be rehabilitated and converted to house the facility. The hostel is run by the local St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP).

Last December, head of the SVP, Winston Playter and Thibaut Williams, Programme Manager for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) signed an agreement under which the CRS will provide the funds for the repairs and conversion of the hostel.

The project is also being run in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The plan is to create about 18 beds to house the patients. CRS will also be providing funds to support the staff that will run the hospice which is expected to be opened in March this year.

CRS is part of AIDS Relief, a unique consortium which brings together the capacities of three faith-based non-government organisations in the United States, a leading research unit in the care and treatment of AIDS and a consulting firm with expertise in monitoring and evaluation.

The final support for AIDS Relief, including the hospice, comes from the US Government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiative. The main aim of AIDS Relief is to provide quality HIV care and treatment to Persons Living with AIDS.

The AIDS Relief Consortium began its work in Guyana in August 2004 by providing support to St Joseph Mercy Hospital’s HIV treatment programme. Based on its success at the Mercy Hospital and with guidance from the Ministry of Health and US Government partners, AIDS Relief has since expanded HIV care and treatment service to Bartica Hospital, located at a significant transit point for mining and logging activities, and Davis Memorial Hospital, a Seventh-Day Adventist hospital located in Georgetown.

AIDS Relief strives to build the technical and institutional capacity of its local partner treatment facilities so that they will be able to provide high quality, sustainable HIV care and treatment services.

AIDS Relief supports capacity building in anti-retroviral therapy for local clinicians through training, clinical mentoring, tutorials and clinical updates. It also supports other services including treatment preparation, confidential and high quality care, ongoing counselling, support groups and community follow-up.

The consortium also promotes family-centred care which stresses the provision of clinical and psychosocial support to their paediatric patients which make up over 12% of the total number of persons on anti-retroviral treatment.

 It also builds the laboratory capacity of its local partners through training and the provision of reagents and equipment.

In collaboration with the Chest Clinic, AIDS Relief will also expand TB diagnosis and treatment services to Bartica Hospital to ensure timely treatment and consistent follow-up for the hospital’s TB/HIV co-infected patients

AIDS Relief will also focus on strengthening overall health systems at its private-sector treatment sites to improve their operational and financial sustainability and to ensure that this sector is thoroughly integrated into the national network of treatment services.

(Edited from Catholic Standard)