Deliver culturally competent care to LGBTI persons; Lessons From Zimbabwe

-
GALZ recently concluded training to 17 medical doctors drawn from around Zimbabwe .The training seeks to ensure that Doctors deliver culturally competent care to LGBTI persons, which has been shown to be successful in positively changing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care providers.
Facilitated by Dr. Johan Hugo, a senior medical officer with Anova Health Institute and Ms. Caroline Maposhere, a sexual reproductive health rights specialist, the training covered aspects of human sexuality, history taking, STI’s and HIV management amongst MSM, mental health for MSM and other medical conditions.
Reports from members of GALZ have consistently shown that they face barriers when attempting to access health care in Zimbabwe. MSM reported experiences of stigma from some healthcare providers resulting in lower access to HIV services and commodities such as condoms, lubricants, HIV testing and HIV treatment. It is important that healthcare workers are sensitized about LGBTI issues, their needs and practices in a bid to provide quality services in a friendly environment.
The Doctors expressed appreciation of the training, in particular, the insights on the structural, behavioral and biological components that increase vulnerability of MSM to HIV and STI’s. Commenting on the sidelines of the training, GALZ Programme Manager, Samuel Matsikure said that, “ there is need for further engagement on policy and service delivery by public and private doctors”. He expressed his desire to extend the training to doctors in other cities in a bid to increase capacity, raise awareness and have more referral sites for the community to access quality services.
The current Zimbabwe National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan recognises the need for interventions between MSM by listing them as a priority population to be targeted in order to improve access to HIV services for MSM, GALZ is embarking on a program to train doctors and nurses on how to provide competent care to MSM and WSW in the next three years.
  • delicious
  • digg
  • facebook
  • reddit
  • stumble
  • twitter
  • rss
Related posts:
  1. GALZ exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail
  2. Human rights defenders conclude MDR Training.
  3. Exclusive Interview with The Sunday Mail reporter’s Comments

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Q And A Forum: Anal Douching - The What, How and Why

-
Image
On a topic such as this it’s best to get right to it and dip your toes in…or a douche as it were. Specifically we are referring to the act of anal douching, its reasons, benefits and some good things to know and consider when cleaning the old pipes! It’s also always good to consider hygiene in any anal play whether it is in preparation or if you plan on making anal douching part of the sexual play itself. Since we are jumping right in it should be noted we will be touching on the dreaded subject of fecal matter. Don’t be skeert! It’s why anal douching is important and since its use is specific to one part of the anatomy both males and females have in common that the same rules apply for both sexes. In fact it should be noted that many people believe the same feminine hygienic products used to douche the vagina are good enough to clean the rectum but most of these products are not created to clean the rectum and contain ingredients that can leave the rectum in an unhealthy state (st...
Read more

Working with the Youth; MDG

-
RECLAIMING FUTURES Thanks to those working to help teens advertisement |  your ad here On Friday, our community's Reclaiming Futures initiative hosted a one-day conference at New Life Center in Everett, "Systems 101." In the wake of years of budget and staffing cuts and doing more with less when it comes to serving our teens, over 100 members of our community, from teachers to Judges, treatment professionals to volunteer mentors, made the time in their already busy schedules to come together to: Learn (from each other), collaborate, build cohesiveness amongst our educational, health, juvenile justice, DCFS, treatment, and youth placement programs, be inspired, and receive a call to action. What is that call? That every adult, every Snohomish County citizen can play a part in reclaiming our youth from the cycle of substance abuse, mental health issues and crime by getting involved with Reclaiming Futures. They were asked to imagine an integrated syste...
Read more

Q And A Forum: HIV Prevention Tips For Grass Root Organizations

-
Image
1. Know Your Epidemic 2. Know Your Social Services 3. Know Your Marginalized Population 4. Know Your Needs 5. Know Your Reporting Mechanisms @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ PROACTIVELY PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HIV, BRING DOWN THE VIRUS WITH  TRUVADA FOR PrEP —ONE TABLET, ONCE DAILY The only medication approved to significantly reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 in individuals at risk, in combination with safer sex practices @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ U.S. AND GLOBAL HEALTH GUIDELINES RECOMMEND  TRUVADA FOR PrEP   IN COMBINATION WITH SAFER SEX PRACTICES TO HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF SEXUALLY ACQUIRED   HIV-1   IN INDIVIDUALS AT RISK ARV Provider Organizations should: Provide criteria for determining a person's risk of HIV infection and for TRUVADA FOR PrEP use Include TRUVADA FOR PrEP as a prevention option for  HIV-1–negative  individuals at risk for HIV infection Emphasize the importa...
Read more