Ensuring universal health coverage is truly inclusive requires providing coverage for even the most hard-to-reach and marginalized groups. Many of these key populations — for example, men who have sex with men, transgender people, and sex workers, among others — are also at a heightened risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections and diseases, for example HIV, which means that creating a strong HIV/AIDS response is integral to the success of UHC goals.
While much work has been done to decrease HIV-related infection and fatalities since the peak of HIV/AIDS-related deaths in 2005, stigma and discrimination against people living with a positive HIV status persists.
“We know how to measure stigma, and we know how to address it.”
While people living with HIV face stigma in all parts of their lives, it’s of particular concern in health care facilities, where people living with HIV/AIDS are often at their most vulnerable, and go to receive treatment and care.
Stigmatizing behavior — particularly in the health care setting — has very real consequences: According to a 2017 UNAIDS report, people living with HIV who perceive high levels of HIV-related stigma are 2.4 times more likely to delay enrollment in care until they are very ill.
The international development community has set a clear goal of reaching universal health coverage by 2030 — while leaving no one behind. How do we ensure access to quality care for all? This content series looks at the technology, practical solutions, and innovative financing tools driving improved access to quality care around the globe.
According to the same report, more than a quarter of the people living with HIV surveyed in eight different countries reported that they had avoided going to a local clinic within the past 12 months because of their HIV status. Some of the reasons for this avoidance include: fear of breach of confidentiality — having their status revealed to others without their consent — as well as fear of being treated poorly by health care staff and fear of judgment, among others.
Reducing stigmatization and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS is critical if the goal of ensuring UHC by 2030 is to be achieved.
“Governments around the world have committed to reducing stigma and discrimination — including in health care facilities — and to implement measures to ensure that such discrimination is not happening,” said Luisa Cabal, special adviser for human rights and gender at UNAIDS. “This is not optional — it’s a legal obligation. This is not just about health, but about human rights.”
The post How To Address HIV/AIDS Stigma In Health Facilities To Achieve UHC appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Source: Independent
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