Source: Stabroek News , 13th September, 2007

Over $100,000 was yesterday handed over to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) to provide resources for HIV/AIDS preventive measures and treatment, a Government Information Agency (GINA) release stated.

The money, totalling $119,000, was presented by the Ministry of Home Affairs and represents the first disbursement of a $2M provision for the purchase of nutritional supplements for prisoners infected with the HIV virus. The money is part of a government and World Bank project titled 'HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project'.

According to the release there will be a model for mainstreaming the management of the pandemic in the prison service which will seek to embrace a multi-faceted prevention strategy to protect prisoners from contracting infectious diseases, particularly the HIV virus.

The three main features of the model are introduction of a health orientation promotion programme for the two admission prisons in Guyana, establishment of a voluntary counselling and testing site at the Georgetown Prison and pre-release counselling.

The GINA release said Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee made the presentation to Director of Prisons Dale Erskine. The minister said he believed that the fight against HIV/AIDS within the prison system is an extremely important issue.

Erskine was quoted as saying that they would use the cheque to ensure that the prisoners are taken care of. "There are many other things happening in the Guyana Prison Service in terms of health care. We have more medex in the system.

There is currently a survey being conducted by the Ministry of Health in terms of understanding the nature of an HIV manifestation in the prison."