The staff at Cyril Ross Nursery is almost exclusively of women, and the children call them their Mommies. But there is one person who they call Daddy: a tall, muscular man with a kind smile. His name is Dr. Nosa.





Dr. Nosa's Story

Dr. Nosa is a Nigerian physician working at the General Hospital in Port of Spain. Four years ago, he heard about Cyril Ross Nursery and decided to volunteer periodically as a doctor for the clinic. But he soon realized that the job demanded more than he anticipated.

"At first I came here to give my medical knowledge, but I now realize that, for children with HIV/AIDS, the right clinical treatment is not enough; They also need emotional attention," remarked Dr. Nosa.

Of the more than 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS, nearly 2.7 million are children under age 15. When it comes to improving care for people with HIV infection, world attention has recently focused mainly on drug prices, in particular the price of anti-retroviral drugs. But access to drugs is just one of the many things that people with the HIV infection need if they are to live healthy, productive lives for as long as possible.

HIV/AIDS-related care and support needs are extremely broad. People with the HIV infection develop "opportunistic diseases" and distressing symptoms that require medicines and other forms of health care. They also need support to cope with the psychological strain of repeated bouts of illness and to counter discrimination and social isolation.

For Dr. Nosa, administering shots, checking sore throats and listening to heartbeats with a stethoscope is just a start. He spends just as much time patiently feeding, playing, and hugging the children. "Dr. Nosa has an incredibly generous spirit. He gives children his all, regardless of how naughty, sick or slight they are," remarked Judy Nimblett, who supervises the nursery. "The fact that he doesn't just treat their ailments but also finds time to play with them and take them for a ride has made the children trust and love him immensely."

The children are not shy about expressing their adoration. "Dr. Nosa listens to us and understands us better than anybody else," said 17-year-old Candace. "He tells us about his childhood and is always willing to help. Dr. Nosa is like a Daddy to all of us."

Access to care and support is still lagging in most developing countries, so Dr. Nosa's support is a blessing for the children of Cyril Ross.

With over two percent of adults carrying the virus, the Caribbean has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world after Sub-Saharan Africa. In Trinidad and Tobago 17,000 people were HIV-positive at the end of 2001, and 3,600 children had been orphaned by the disease.

In many places in the Caribbean, facilities are inadequate and drug supplies are erratic, even for HIV-related conditions that are easy to diagnose and inexpensive to treat. In Africa, where most HIV-positive people live, health care systems already weak and under-financed before the advent of AIDS are now buckling under the added strain of millions of new patients.

The AIDS epidemic is placing tremendous burdens on health care systems and on the labor force. Today, 83 percent of AIDS cases in the Caribbean are in the age group 15-to 54-years: the labor force. The potential to cause a negative impact in various key sectors, from agriculture, tourism and mining, to trade, as well as on national budgets, is considerable.

"HIV/AIDS is more than a health problem; it is a major development challenge," noted Patricio Marquez, a principal health specialist at the World Bank and co-author of “HIV in the Caribbean: Issues and Options”.

Thanks to the care that they receive on a daily basis from Dr. Nosa, most children at Cyril Ross are healthy enough to play and visit the nearby beach.