BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Department of Health is eyeing early 2017 as the period when people can begin getting screened for the HIV/AIDS virus at various Health Centers in the Federation.
This revelation comes as the government agency was unsuccessful in fulfilling its promise to implement the screening programme at the health facilities at the beginning of this year.
According to head of the National AIDS Programme, Gardenia Destang-Richardson, the delay was due largely in part to them being unable to acquire the requisite equipment at the projected time.
“We had a slight delay...in that we did not get the necessary equipment to do so. The stuff is on its way and maybe, let us say, early in 2017 health centers would begin providing the Rapid Testing.”
The Health Department has moved to their new Rapid Testing Programme which helps to increase the rate of their testing process and cut down on the amount of waiting time for results.
Richardson pointed out that it would ease the flow of people seeking to get tested, because they would have it done at various locations rather than having then in lines at the Health Department or wait until the annual National Day of testing on December 1.
Just earlier this month a number of persons had turned up at various locations established to conduct tests during the Health Department’s Week of Testing and Education.
According to a recent media report, some 270 people are living with the virus in St. Kitts and Nevis. But many individuals have questioned the integrity of those who conducted the tests, as it was alleged that the identity of a number of those with the virus was made public.
Richardson however declared that the process is a confidential one since it does not involve the names of patients.
“We do go through continuous training with the persons who do the HIV testing and we do emphasise confidentiality. That is a big issue for us,” she stressed. “In fact, just last month we had a training programme and that is one of the things we brought up again. As healthcare providers, if you cannot be confidential then you are in the wrong profession.
“The truth is I would say, many of the persons’ results, if HIV or otherwise, were divulged by somebody else and not from the institutions. It could be somebody who you would have trusted. Our system is done in such a way that it is coded, and so at that time it is only you and your provider would know your HIV results. So it's either you or your provider would have passed on that result.”
Additionally, she pointed out that the information that is recorded with the Department does not carry any name and there is no way that the result would be linked to any one person.
Calls were made for people to practice safe sex during the Carnival season when many would be intoxicated.
