Barbados is to spend a whopping $180 million between 2008 and 2013 in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Just over half of the money – $92.8 million – will be for treatment programmes, with
$33 million earmarked
for prevention.

The projected spending was tabulated in Government's National Strategic Plan For HIV Prevention And Control (2008-2013) which was debated by the House
of Assembly yesterday.

Under the plan, care and support will account for $20.3 million, programme management and institutional performance, $29.3 million and monitoring and evaluation $4.2 million.

In 2008-2009 alone, the total projected spending is $23.6 million, with the 2009-10 figure climbing to $30.8 million.

Minister of Community Development and Culture Steven Blackett called for a bigger slice of the Budget to be allocated to HIV/AIDS prevention programmes.

"I believe that a larger chunk of the national Budget should be focussed towards prevention, rather than the area of care,"
he told parliamentarians.

". . . I believe that the way forward in this regard is to reallocate or provide a larger chunk of funds for the question of prevention, bringing some balance and narrowing the disparity, narrowing the divide between treatment,
care and support
and prevention."

Blackett said 1.7 per cent of the local population, or about 4 700 people, were now infected with HIV/AIDS.

And, that $10 million had been spent dealing with HIV/AIDS between 2003 and 2004.

The disease had changed Barbadians' sexual habits, "decimated families throughout the length and breadth of Barbados" and reduced
the large homosexual and transvestite population, according to the minister.

Government and Opposition parliamentarians yesterday supported the plan and the Barbados National HIV Policy, which was also debated.

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley spoke of "a unanimity
of purpose" and "clarity
of vision" when both sides came to tackle the HIV/AIDS problem.

Both Mottley and Member of Parliament for St Michael North West, Chris Sinckler underscored the importance of Barbadians behaving more responsibly if the island was to make headway in reducing HIV/AIDS. (TY)