More Funding For Hiv/Aids Prevention And Control

The Ministry of Health continues to place emphasis on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with a $40.1 million allocation to the Enhanced Caribbean Response to HIV/AIDS Project.
This is set out in the 2004/05 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives.
The project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), specifically responds to the epidemic by establishing an HIV/AIDS regional training, education and research centre in Kingston.
So far under the project, a workshop for anti-retroviral therapy has been hosted for the Caribbean, training for contact investigators has been provided, while vehicles and equipment have been procured.
For this fiscal year, the major focus of the project is the renovation of the Comprehensive Health Centre for training activities.
Commencing in September 2002, the project is expected to end in August of this year.
Meanwhile, an allotment of $10.9 million was provided for the Disease Prevention and Control Project, which was developed to initiate and maintain disease prevention and control measures, such as the surveillance of water supplies and sewage disposal systems.