NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Health, National Insurance and Public Information, the Hon. Dr. Nottage signed contracts to turn Curry House into a laboratory and training centre at a cost of $467,000 on Monday, April 23, 2007.
Curry House, a historic three-storey building in Royal Victoria Gardens, is being redesigned at a cost of $467,000 to serve as a HIV laboratory and training centre, Minister of Health, National Insurance and Public Information the Hon. Dr. Bernard Nottage said.
Since the former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan in 2001 called for countries to scale up their responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, The Bahamas has provided Anti-Retroviral therapy to patients who need treatment, Dr. Nottage said.
With assistance from the Clinton Foundation, a three-year strategic plan on HIV/AIDS was developed, which included drug treatment, CD4 and viral load testing.
The CD4 and viral load testing were initially done at the Hospital for Sick Children’s HIV laboratory in Canada, under the direction of Professor Stan Read, Dr. Nottage said at the contract signing with companies involved in the redesigning of Curry House at his office on Monday, April 23, 2007.
But this arrangement, along with holding one clinic per week, limited the early identification of persons requiring treatment, he explained.
As a result, it was decided that the treatment and care of HIV/AIDS would be decentralised and integrated into community clinics.
“This will also reduce stigma currently associated with HIV, and which discourages patients from seeking care,” Dr. Nottage said.
There are persons who refuse to go to the HIV/AIDS clinic because of the fear that they may be seen and ostracised, he explained. These persons will be able to attend any one of the community clinics.
Also, to cut down on the time waiting for CD4 results to come back from Canada, a temporary lab was set up in 2006 at the Princess Margaret Hospital. But Curry House will be the official site for all testing once completed.
Due to the highly specialised nature of the laboratory, Ministry officials sought the services of experts in the field of laboratory architecture, Dr. Nottage said.
Dr. David Driscoll, a laboratory architect for Parkin Architects Inc., a Canadian firm, worked in collaboration with local architectural company, Patrick Rahming and Associates. Jones Construction won the remodelling contract.
“The lab will have the most modern designs with emphasis on carefully planned air flow systems which will provide an environment conducive to molecular diagnostics and laboratory safety,” Dr. Nottage said.
Director of the National AIDS Programme, Dr. Perry Gomez added that the lab’s sterility and safety is important especially for persons working in the laboratory.
He said the laboratory may have the ability to run other tests. For example, tests may soon be performed on dead birds for signs of Avian Flu. If such tests were to take place, those doing so would have to be protected.
The redesigning of Curry House should be completed by the second week in July, he said.
