HIV Prevention Pill Launched Through Private Sector – Civil Society Partnership

As World AIDS Day 2019 is observed under the theme “Communities Make the Difference,” a new private clinic and a 16-year old local NGO have teamed up to make HIV prevention medication more available. Today, Midway Speciality Care Centre Guyana (MSCCG) and Guyana’s Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD Guyana) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at a media launch of the clinical services to formalize their partnership in preventing new HIV infections in Guyana.

Midway Speciality Care Centre Guyana (MSCCG) is a not-for-profit clinic that is established to provide non-communicable and infectious disease care. Dr Moti Ramgopal MD, FACP, FIDSA, founded Midway Speciality Care Centre, which treats 6,000 patients in eight clinics in the United States of America. These clinics have provided a wide range of speciality and primary care services for patients. SASOD Guyana is a well-known human rights organization that has been at the forefront of the HIV response in Guyana.

SASOD Guyana has been a long-time advocate for the introduction of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Services (PrEP) for all persons who are at risk. Midway Speciality Care Centres have acquired tremendous expertise in providing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in the United States. After a series of intense deliberations between MSCCG and SASOD Guyana,  have agreed to introduce PrEP and non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) services at a weekday, full-service clinic located at 100 Carmichael Street (opposite Woodlands Hospital) and a satellite community clinic every Saturday at the SASOD Guyana office at 203 Duncan Street in Lamaha Gardens. The two agencies are convinced that with the introduction of these services that it would prevent those that are “substantial risk” from acquiring the HIV infection.

MSCCG and SASOD Guyana are providing PrEP and nPEP as part of combination prevention which includes condoms and lubes, STI screening and management, HIV testing and counselling, risk reduction management and harm reduction. The partners are also providing comprehensive support, consisting of adherence counselling, mental and emotional support, and sexual and reproductive health services. These services will be available to the from next week Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm,  starting on December 9. SASOD Guyana’s  Saturday clinic will commence on January 4, 2020. To make an appointment, interested persons can contact MSCCG by phone on 502-1951 or by email at MSCCG@gmail.com. SASOD Guyana can also be contacted by phone on 225-7283, 623-5155 or by email at sasod@sasod.org.gy. MSCCG’s Medical Doctor, Dr. Ruth Ramos, and SASOD Guyana’s Managing Director signed the  Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of the media with MSCCG’s Nurse Lois Barrow witnessing the inking of the private sector – civil society agreement.