An Insurance and Health forum aimed at building public-private partnerships across the Caribbean region between the insurance and health sector will be held on 10 August 2011, in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Forum is organized by the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) in partnership with the Insurance Association of the Caribbean (IAC) and the Pan Caribbean Business Coalition (PCBC), with support from the United States Government. Its stated objective is to " build public-private partnerships across the Pan Caribbean Region between the insurance and health sector to enhance access to treatment by people living with HIV (PLHIV) and reduce the stigma discrimination associated with the disease".
According to PANCAP Director, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland, "achieving life and health insurance coverage for persons newly diagnosed with HIV will make significant inroads in reducing the stigma associated with HIV, as it will be treated like any other illness from an insurance perspective". In addition," the portability of regional health insurance would allow PLHIV to move between territories and to have access to treatments in territories beyond their own", the Director explained.
Among the expected outcomes of the forum are consensus on action areas to ensure the provision of insurance products for persons living with HIV and a roadmap, which includes partners’ commitments, on the way forward.
Participants to the forum include ministries of health officials, representatives of the private insurance sector and members of the PANCAP network.
The Forum begins at 8 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel with a brief opening ceremony chaired by the PANCAP Director, in which remarks will be given by President of PCBC/IAC, Mr. Douglas Camacho, while the Hon. Dr. Fuad Khan, Minister of Health, Trinidad and Tobago will deliver the main address and deliver the forum open.
PANCAP, is a regional partnership established in 2001 in response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean. Its vision is to "substantially reduce the spread and impact of HIV in the Caribbean through sustainable systems of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.