AIDS Healthcare Foundation Jamaica is calling for urgent action to bring more than 13,000 people living with HIV into documented treatment, warning of a substantial gap between diagnosis and care.
National data from December 2025 estimate that 28,000 people in Jamaica are living with HIV. Approximately 26,500, or 95%, have been diagnosed, but only 14,716 — 53% of the estimated total — are documented as receiving treatment.
“Diagnosis is not the finish line,” said Sannia Sutherland, AHF Jamaica’s country programme manager.
“With only half of Jamaicans living with HIV on treatment, too many are being left behind. We have a duty to strengthen every step between diagnosis and treatment, so that everyone diagnosed is brought into care and supported to stay there.”
The organisation said the figures do not necessarily mean everyone outside documented care has stopped receiving medication. Some patients may have transferred between facilities or continued treatment without their records being captured nationally.
AHF Jamaica is calling for a national patient count, matching treatment records with National Health Fund pharmacy data across public and private facilities.
It also wants targeted support for clinics where patients frequently drop out of care, alongside timely contact with people who miss appointments or discontinue treatment.
The organisation acknowledged government efforts to expand prevention and treatment, including the proposed introduction of long-acting injectable medicines. However, it said new options would have limited impact unless patients were connected to care and supported to remain on treatment.
AHF Jamaica and the Civil Society Forum are urging government, healthcare providers and community organisations to coordinate efforts to reach those missing from care. The forum is scheduled to meet Friday to advance the appeal.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: More than 13,000 Jamaicans with HIV outside documented treatment, AHF warns.