- MOH hosts stakeholder consultation for 2022-2027 Infectious Disease National Action Plan
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony says he is confident that Guyana will be able to eliminate five (5) of the neglected infectious diseases before the World Health Organisation’s 2030 deadline.
He was at the time, speaking at the Infectious Disease National Action Plan 2022-2027 Stakeholder Consultation at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.
The health ministry is aiming to eliminate Filaria, Chagas, leishmaniasis, leprosy and soil diseases by 2027 and the consultation forum is aimed at deriving a 2022-2027 action plan to eliminate these five diseases.
According to Dr Anthony, the number of cases in terms of the different diseases is very little in Guyana, which is why he is optimistic that they can be eliminated even before 2030.
However, he said this can only be achieved if there is concentrated focus. “It is not as bad as the other regions in the world, because they are affecting relatively small numbers of people, with the exception of soil-transmitted elements, but outside of that I think the numbers are really small and I, therefore, believe that we’ll be able to resolve a lot of these problems in a faster time,” Minister Anthony said.
Dr Anthony urged the stakeholders to integrate the public health system in coming up with an action plan so that it can be affordable and sustainable.
He also urged them to be practical and make sure that they capture the nuances in the other regions so that they can be used to make an impact on getting rid of these diseases.
“It’s easy to get together in a room and write a nice plan but the plan by itself wouldn’t work, we have to get people to work the plan and I think that is also very important,” Dr Anthony stated.
The Health Minister said the government will be providing resources to this initiative so that the country can be free of these diseases.
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