US cuts funding to UWI HIV programme

THE United States’ President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has cut funding to the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Programme (CHART), formerly headed by retired University of the West Indies (UWI) professor, Brendan Bain.

Bain was in May terminated as head of the UWI-based programme after a coalition of gay advocacy and civil rights groups pressured the university to fire him for the expert evidence he gave in a Belize case involving a gay man who challenged the constitutionality of the law criminalising buggery.

The UWI, in a media release yesterday, disclosed that PEPFAR, through the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) which manages US funding for HIV/AIDS globally, discontinued funding for CHART as of September 1, as part of a global policy shift.

Commenting on this development, Vice-Chancellor E Nigel Harris expressed regret at the decision. Such a decision, he said, will have adverse implications for staff employed to the UWI CHART Programme. The vice-chancellor said meetings with the affected staff members were being arranged to inform them of the development and to discuss its implications.

According to the university, the HRSA informed it in a letter that “all PEPFAR programmes are being realigned to meet the 50 per cent care and treatment earmark mandated in authorising US legislation”.

It added: “Further, the US Health Department indicated that the shift in programme focus will not include funding of training activities or human resources for health activities that have been the focus of CHART network’s scope of work. Likewise, the shift in programme focus will also affect the current Infectious Disease Residency partnership.”

Meanwhile, the US Government said diplomatic notification of the policy re-alignment has already been done.

According to HRSA, there will be a transition period which began globally on September 1, 2014, and which will be completed by December 31.

The letter sent to UWI further stated that HRSA has been directed to transition or otherwise end these activities by the close of this calendar year.

Professor Bain’s dismissal had sparked widespread public debate, resulting in several protests involving church and lobby groups calling for a reversal of the university’s decision.

In June, Professor Bain secured an injunction to prevent his removal as director of CHART, days ahead of the June 15 date when his termination would have taken effect.