Welcome Statement by the Minister of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone (Mrs. Abator Thomas) on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the coordination and Advocacy Meeting for HIV/AIDS Treatment Programmes in three (3) countries in post conflict situation (Guinea Bissua, Liberia and Sierra Leone) at the Bintumani Hotel, Aberdeen, Freetown, Sierra Leone on Friday 17th November, 2006.
Mr. Chairman, Representatives of the UN Agencies here in Sierra Leone, The Deputy Director-General of the West African Health Organisation NGOs operating within the Health Sector, The Acting Director of the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat, Delegates from our Sister Repuyblics of Guinea Bissua and Liberia, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
It is indeed a great honour and privilege to welcome you all to the International meeting for the Coordination and Advocacy for HIV/AIDs treatment programmes for Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea Bissau from 17th-19th November 2006.
Let me also thank the organisers - The West African Health Organisation, The Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat for choosing Sierra Leone for the hosting of this all important human event. I hope this meeting will pave the way for us to have other WAHO meetings in Sierra Leone.
It is the intention of this forum to strengthen the capability of our Health Response Group to respond positively and effectively to changes in the global environment and to local needs thereby enhancing value for donor government funds to ensure effective service delivery in our health sector plan for the treatment of HIV/AIDS in the three (3) countries namely:
Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea Bissua especially in tackling emerging diseases. I am confident that the outcomes of this one week forum will register another success story for the development of standard treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in our countries and other parts of our countries and the world at large.
The objectives of this meeting are as follows:
1. To create a sub-regional consensus on the analysis of the situation of the disease at country level, with emphasis on the gaps in the various programmes areas;
2. To review the different national programmes of access to ARVs and also to medicines against opportunistic infections;
3. To propose a reinforced sub-regional plan for HIV/AIDS control address to the ECOWAS political decision makers (Ministers of Health, Ministry of Finance, etc.) to serve as working document at the sub-regional meeting of the Economic Community of West African States and its International Partners;
4. To institutionalize this annual HIV/AIDS programme forum to sustain the exchanges of information between the people on the ground and decision makers and prepare the political support which the officials in charge of HIV/AIDS control in West Africa very much require.
HIV/AIDS pandemic has robbed most of the previous gains achieved in the region previously.
According to UNAIDS report of 2004, more than 60 million people have been infected with HIV/AIDS since the 1980s and 20 million have died. 38 million people are living with HIV/AIDS today. There are 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS (-PLWHAs) Africa represents 3/4 of this number globally. More than 12 million have been orphaned of which the majority of these are in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is projected that more than 18 million children will be orphaned by AIDS by 2010.
Here in Sierra Leone, the situation is not all that grim but economically and medically it is a point of concern since the prevalence rate is growing gradually at 1.53% according to the recent survey/study.
In Sierra Leone, as at June 2006 1,004 (One Thousand and Four) have died from HIV.AIDS related illness. Government is doing every thing humanly possible to arrest the spread of this dreadful disease and I therefore call upon my compatriots to adhere to the instructions/policies of the National HIV/.AIDs Secretariat and all relevant instructions from the WHO, the West African Health Organisation, Medical Agencies, International Organisations such as UNAIDS to enable us have a healthy nation.
In view of the programmes outlined for this one week deliberations, I am confident that, if we achieve this in Sierra Leone, our sister republics will then also benefit from our best practices, which will assist us greatly in reaching one of the targets of the MDGs.
It now gives me the greatest pleasure to formally declare this workshop open and I wish you a successful deliberation and please find time in your leisure to more around our seaside and enjoy lthe calm of our lovely beaches.
I thank you all for your attention
