By: Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News|
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD — Guyana’s Minister of Health and Chair of the PANCAP Executive Board, Dr. Frank Anthony, has challenged Caribbean nations to seize an “unprecedented opportunity” to move beyond merely managing HIV and instead focus on its total elimination as a public health threat.
Addressing the Tenth Meeting of National AIDS Programme Managers and Key Partners at the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Dr. Anthony highlighted a crossroads in the regional epidemic: the science to end AIDS exists, but the funding to implement it is fading.
The Success Story: A 62% Decline in Deaths
Dr. Anthony opened with a tribute to the health professionals who have fought on the frontlines since the 1980s.
- Rapid Progress: Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths in the Caribbean have plummeted by 62%—the fastest reduction of any region globally.
- The Numbers: In 2010, nearly 12,000 people in the Caribbean died annually from AIDS-related illnesses. Today, that number has been slashed to fewer than 5,000.
- Treatment Reach: Approximately 85% of people living with HIV in the region now know their status, with 74% accessing life-saving antiretroviral treatment.
The Troubling Reality: 15,000 New Infections
Despite the drop in deaths, the Minister warned that the Caribbean is not yet “winning” the war.
- The Youth Gap: 15,000 new HIV infections still occur annually across the region. Critically, one in four (25%) of these new cases involves young people aged 15 to 24.
- A Simple Question: “The question before us today is simple,” Dr. Anthony asked the delegates. “Will we be the generation that manages AIDS? Or will we be the generation that ends it?”
Innovation vs. The “Funding Cliff”
While praising medical breakthroughs such as the twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir, Dr. Anthony expressed serious concerns about a “difficult moment” in global health financing.
- Declining Support: International funding for Caribbean HIV programs is shrinking, with prevention services often the first to be cut.
- The Cost of Inaction: Citing UNAIDS data, he warned that if prevention services decline, the world could see 4 million additional infections over the next five years.
- Equitable Access: The Minister slammed international drug agencies that demand “full cost” from Caribbean nations they perceive as having resources, effectively pricing them out of next-generation medications.
The Path to 2030: Ending the Pandemic
Dr. Anthony called for a three-pronged regional strategy:
- Innovation: Embracing long-acting injectables and digital health tools to reach vulnerable groups.
- Collective Bargaining: Using regional cooperation to negotiate lower prices for advanced medications.
- Youth-Friendly Services: Tailoring prevention programs to reach the 15–24 demographic that currently shoulders a disproportionate burden of new cases.
“History will judge this Region not by its meetings or reports, but by whether it finishes the work. We have the science; now we must have the sustained investment.” — Dr. Frank Anthony
