MORE than 25 years after the first AIDS case was recognised in Jamaica, stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS remain high.

A study conducted by the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network in 2007 found that there were varying degrees of fear among health care providers when interacting with HIV-positive patients. The study was done to help the organisation understand the extent of HIV-related stigma and discrimination among HIV counselling and testing providers and trainers in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. It was led by an arm of Johns Hopkins University in the US, in close collaboration with the CHART Network.

During focus group discussions, it became apparent that many providers still witnessed discrimination directed at people living with HIV.

"I know for clients who are HIV-positive at a certain hospital, what they do when the clients are admitted they keep the clients disposables -- disposable plates, disposable cups because the patient is HIV-positive," said one provider.

On the other hand, the CHART Network said it was encouraged by the report of a provider from Jamaica who said, "Since the institution of VCT (voluntary counselling and testing), it has taken away a lot of stigma and discrimination. I remember even before then people were afraid of clients with HIV, but now people are much more at ease because of the knowledge base of VCT."

The study concluded that with increased understanding of the disease and efforts to create supportive environments, countries can make progress in the mitigation of stigma and discrimination in health care facilities.

The Regional Co-ordinating Unit of the CHART Network at the University of the West Indies, is committed to reducing the stigma and discrimination often directed at people living with HIV (PLHIV). In collaboration with ministries of health in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, and two non-governmental Organisations in Haiti, the CHART Network has been training healthcare workers throughout the Caribbean in the care, treatment and support of PLHIVs since 2003. Combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination is a critical theme in many CHART training sessions.

CHART said it was continuously training healthcare workers throughout the region on this topic. "In 2009, we trained 1,042 healthcare providers in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, on HIV-related stigma and discrimination," the organisation said.

For more information about the CHART Network, visit: www.chartcaribbean.org.

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