Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Minister Leslie Ramsammy
Like other Caribbean countries, Guyana has seen a rising number of AIDS cases in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, 18,000 Guyanans were HIV-positive at the end of 2001, roughly 5.5 percent of the nation’s population. Leslie Ramsammy is Guyana’s Minister of Health. Dr. Ramsammy was educated in the United States and ran for the Guyanan presidency in 1992. The following is excerpted from his June 27, 2001, speech during the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS.More than two decades of the HIV/AIDS onslaught have already left an indelible impact on the social, political, and economic fabric…
