NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Lyford Cay Foundation in partnership with the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative has presented the Ministry of Health with diagnostic equipment that will keep The Bahamas in the forefront in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Sen. the Hon. Dr. Bernard Nottage, Minister of Housing and National Insurance, accepted the Beckman Coulter Epic (CD4) equipment during a press conference at the Princess Margaret Hospital last week.
Dr. Perry Gomez, Director of the National AIDS Program, said the arrival of the equipment signals the dawning of a new day in the treatment of HIV/AIDS in The Bahamas.
He expressed gratitude to the Lyford Cay Foundation and the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative for the equipment.
“With this equipment now in Nassau we will no longer have to courier blood samples on a weekly basis to a laboratory in Canada to assess white blood cell counts, which tell us the level to which a patient’s immune system has been compromised and thus, what the correct treatment is,” said Dr. Gomez.
Dr. Gomez said the CD4 is one of the most critical components in the diagnosis of AIDS. He said the machine enables him to diagnose and determine the best method of treatment right here in Nassau.
“Local diagnosis and treatment will be free and funds that were used to send samples abroad are now being earmarked for a broader HIV/AIDS educational campaign,” he said.
Dr. Gomez said all Bahamians will now have free access to essential HIV/AIDS diagnostic services at home-and they will be secure in the knowledge of a confidential doctor to patient relationship.
“This is a further step in the direction we want to go with health care in this country by making services available where people are. Decentralization is a key ingredient in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and in providing the best treatment and care for those immune systems have been compromised,” he said.
Dr. Gomez said the Lyford Cay Foundation’s involvement in the fight against AIDS dates back nearly a decade. It was the Foundation that made a major donation to the AIDS Foundation of The Bahamas to fund the first AIDS “cocktail” to pregnant women to prevent transmission of the HIV svirus to the unborn child.
Mr. Manuel Cutillas, chairman of the Lyford Cay Foundation, said the foundation’s mission statement is to improve the quality of life of the Bahamian people. He said the Foundation does that through two efforts – the scholarship program and the gifts and grants program.
“The Lyford Cay Foundation is very pleased to be able to assist the Government of The Bahamas and the Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS Initiative with the purchase of a CD4 machine,” he said.
Mr. Cutillas believes the machine is an important addition to the HIV/AIDS laboratory serving the entire nation.
“This machine will help save lives and keep The Bahamas in the forefront in the fight against AIDS. We have been hailed as one of the few countries where related deaths and new cases are declining,” he said.
