Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said local efforts in the HIV response are being recognized internationally particularly in areas such as access to safe blood and the prevention of mother to child transmission.

At a just-concluded Implementers Meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda, which he attended, Ramsammy said his belief in what is happening at the national level was reinforced.

However, he said the job now was not to feel exhilarated at the noted successes but instead to aggressively pursue solutions.

Briefing reporters yesterday on the meeting, he said one of the things that Guyana's delegation was able to highlight at the meeting was the fact that an adequate supply chain must be in place. The minister said a substantial amount of money has been pumped into this area over the years since it includes having the right procurement system; proper warehousing and distribution among other things.

The theme of the meeting was "Scaling Up Through Partnerships" and was aimed at recognizing the rapid expansion of HIV programmes worldwide.

Together, implementers exchanged lessons learned on building the capacity of local prevention, treatment, and care programmes, maintaining quality control, and coordinating efforts.

The forum also facilitated an open dialogue about future directions of HIV programmes, with a strong emphasis on implementation and identification of critical barriers and best practices.

Meanwhile, Ramsammy noted that the health sector was on target to collect 6,000 units of blood in a voluntary countrywide drive. He said 2,640 units were received as of Tuesday, which represents a 90 per cent donation rate for the half-year mark.

Ramsammy said too that malaria cases are down compared to figures of previous years, adding that there were just over 4,700 cases recorded this year so far while last year for the same period there was over 10,000. He said there has also been a notable reduction in the number of tuberculosis cases.

Further, he said the health sector was finalizing preparations to introduce the rotavirus vaccines along with another vaccine for children.

The minister also responded to a question posed on a statement released on Tuesday by the National AIDS Committee.

He said the committee has been unfair in its comments about the local HIV response. According to him, Guyana's efforts continue to receive praise at home and abroad.