Today the Ministry of Health along with the Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and Aids presented a, "implementation plan for the execution of human capacity building in Belize to scale up HIV and Aids prevention treatment and care." It's a mouthful which simply means, that through assistance from a regional group, Belize's HIV and Aids organizations will be delivering services to those who need it. Director of Health Services Dr. Jorge Polanco emphasized that the plan, however grand it may be, must rely on the human element if it is to work.
Dr. Jorge Polanco, Director of Health Services
"I consider this as a milestone in the part that the Ministry of Health along with other stakeholders, the National Aids Commission, and other sectors of government have already begun since 1986. It is not just now that we have begun this challenge. From the first case of Aids, I think things were put rolling, things began moving, and of course like everything else, the process is huge, it is heavy, it is wide, and it has moved slowly because of the nature of HIV/Aids.
This moment marks the beginning of an opportunity, as the name says, to scale up what we have been doing. In regard to what you are seeing here, in regards to the name of the project, 'human capacity building,' when you consider what that means, it means just like how it sounds: building the human capacity that we have. The approach that Belize as a country has taken to address HIV/Aids has been multi-sectoral, has been holistic approach, of course there are much ways to improve.
The approach that we will see this morning, which is building up the human resource capacity in Belize, is one that I believe has to be done. We could have the best drugs, we could have very good systems, and you name it; the best imaging equipment etc. etc. But if our human resources are not skilled enough to communicate to do what they can do or what they should be doing at their own level, the impact of any technology or drug that we have will not have that impact that is desired."
The plan will run for 12 months during which time training and relevant materials will be offered to HIV and Aids awareness and intervention organizations.
