Nguyen Thanh Trung (not his real name), a gay man who lives in Hanoi,was very upset by the way doctors discriminated against him when he wasundergoing an anal health test in one of the city's many health clinics.
"The doctor told me to my face that having sex with men is not a natural act and asked me why I did it," Trung recalled.
"I was so upset that I left the clinic and will never return," he said.
This story was just one of many recounted by the Chair of the NationalMen who have Sex with Men (MSM) Technical Working Group Phan Huy Hien ata conference in Hanoi timed to coincide with yesterday's InternationalDay Against Homophobia.
"This is a very typical case in the MSM community," Hien said, "Most feel isolated and then refuse to go to such places."
"There's no doubt that societal stigma and discrimination arepreventing MSM from obtaining their basic rights when it comes toaccessing information and health services, especially for HIV/AIDSprevention and treatment of sexual transmitted diseases," said Hien.
A survey conducted last November by the Institute for Studies ofSociety, Economy and Environment of 25 health staff at several targetedhealth care clinics in Hanoi and HCM City showed that someforms of stigma persisted despite efforts to serve clients in the bestpossible manner.
Doctors believed, for example, thatbecoming a homosexual was a fashion statement. They teased gay patients,and criticised anal sex despite training on gay issues, the surveyrevealed.
Le Van Thanh, head of a support group in centralDa Nang , said few of the members of his group visited healthclinics. Thus they had a serious shortage of information on how toprevent HIV/AIDS.
"There are many weird questions wereceive, such as whether HIV/AIDS can be transmitted via sharing glassesof water or whether sexual lubricant could help prevent the spread ofthe virus," he said.
Figures from HCM City 'sDepartment of Health and the Family Health International in Vietnamfrom last March showed at least 19,000 MSM aged from 15 to 49 wereliving in HCM City .
About 16.4 percent of them tested positive for HIV/AIDS in 2009, an increase of 10 percent on 2006.
The rate of those who used condom was only 24 percent.
According to Hien, the National MSM Technical Working Group, togetherwith its volunteers, mostly MSM, have carried out consultative work onHIV/AIDS prevention including supplying condoms and sexual lubricantfree of charge for MSM in nine provinces and cities nationwide.
In addition, a guideline for comprehensive HIV/AIDS interventions forMSM has been completed and submitted for approval to the VietnamAdministration of HIV/AIDS Control. This would help improve theefficiency of the consultative work, he said.
Doctor VoThanh Trung, vice director of Da Nang City's AIDS Prevention Centre,said dissemination of information to doctors and health staff on legalissues over MSM should be stepped up at a grassroots level.
Brochures on MSM and relevant issues should be supplied to the community to eliminate stigma and discrimination, he said.
"It's time to act to create conditions for MSM to get the same rights as other citizens," he said.
Yesterday's conference was organised by USAID, United Nations in Vietnam and other non-governmental organisations./.