By November this year Guyana is expected to be able to test newborn babies for HIV instead of waiting until the child is 18 months old, Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy said recently.

He said this means if the baby is infected treatment can be started right away. According to the minister, at the end of last year there were some 105 children on treatment but that is not enough as it is hoped that every child who is HIV infected should be on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment.

The minister said Guyana is one of the few countries in the world that provides the paediatric ARV. Initially, Guyana was accessing the treatment at US$4,000 per child and then it was reduced to US$1,000 and by the end of the year it is hoped that it will be further reduced to US$500.

The minister was speaking at the launching of the Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO) at the Umana Yana, Kingston, last Wednesday. The launching coincided with a panel discussion that saw Dr Ramsammy, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, First Lady Varshnie Jagdeo and others participating.

In his speech Dr Ramsammy reminded the audience that the government alone cannot be depended on to fight HIV and other issues and people have to come together to make the country a better place. He said more and more organisations are being formed and this signals that the country is ready to stand up and be heard. He also expressed the hope that the number of children being born with the virus would be reduced until it no longer happened. However, he said those who are born with HIV must be given the opportunity to grow and become adults. He again stated that stigma and discrimination remain a big hindrance to HIV-infected persons living a normal life.

Meanwhile, Royston King, a member of ECHO, described the organisation as being an issue-based one, which is concerned with the health of the environment. It would give communities a forum to express themselves. According to King, two critical issues that have affected growth of the world's people is HIV and climate change. He said both issues present serious consequential problems for the well-being of Guyana and the wider world. He expects that the organisation would serve as a stopgap between what is said is being done and what is actually happening in order to give the community a voice and initiate attitude change.

King said ECHO would be funded through fundraising activities and contributions from the business community. However, the organisation's values would prevent it from accepting donations from companies that are not environmentally friendly or that lack good corporate ethics. He said all corporations have a social responsibility to the community and this is one of the issues the organisation would be looking at while networking with other non-governmental organisations (NGOs). ECHO is made up of a director, a team of advisors and other staff members. The advisors include people who have expertise in medicine, environment, education and journalism. The organisation would, among other things, be advocating for an environmental audit in Guyana.