Illustrative image (Source: VNA) The survey, which polled 600 medical staff and users of HIV treatment services in three local medical facilities in Ho Chi Minh City, also provided that 40 percent of HIV-infected respondents said they were once discriminated in medical facilities.
The survey used tools reworked by the Ho Chi Minh City Centre for AIDS Prevention and Control and served a pilot project to reduce HIV-related discrimination in medical stations launched in Ho Chi Minh City in late 2016.
Under the auspices of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the project aimed to reduce and end HIV-related discrimination, contributing to ending the AIDS epidemic in Vietnam by 2030.
Based on the above survey results, the Ho Chi Minh City Centre for AIDS Prevention and Control together with three medical facilities have raised their staff’s awareness of relevant expertise and devised appropriate curricula which are expected to be applied nationwide once the model is spread.
The Global Action Plan to eliminate stigma and discrimination in health care setting was launched by the UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation (WHO) with a view to promoting respect to the rights to equality, towards bringing better health to all citizens.
The plan suggests providing quality and timely check-ups and treatment for HIV carriers or sex workers, respecting patients’ privacy and confidentiality rights, forbidding involuntary tests and coercive medical intervention, as well as ensuring discriminated communities’ involvement in the process.-VNA
