Health
A Consultant General Physician, Dr Chinasa Gerald, has called for more awareness and sensitisation to change people’s mindset toward HIV/AIDS.
Gerald, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos, said that this would put an end to HIV/AIDS by 2030, as stipulated by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
NAN reports that the physician spoke on the sidelines of the commemoration of this year’s World AIDS Day, with the theme: “Let Communities Lead.”
NAN also reports that World AIDS Day is celebrated annually on Dec. 1 to raise awareness on the challenges of achieving the goals of ending AIDS by 2030 and mobilise all stakeholders to jointly redouble efforts to ensure the success of HIV response.
Gerald said that lives would be saved through increased advocacy and education campaigns against the stigmatisation and inequality associated with HIV.
He identified stigma as one of the impediments to prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, adding that it had prevented many people with HIV from seeking medical attention and treatment, thereby leading to increase in deaths from the disease.
The physician urged the government, communities, health workers, organisations, families, employers and the general public to contribute their quota toward eradicating the disease.
“Many people today do not know their HIV status and are not even ready to know, while those who know their status cannot seek treatment due to fear of the stigmas surrounding HIV.
“Once there is stigma, depression sets in, leading to increase in mental health issues.
“If we do not remove stigmatisation, HIV/AIDS will continue to stay with us. Therefore, the objective is to join in eradicating HIV/AIDS by the 2030, as proposed in the SDGs.
“Communities should connect people with person-centred public health services, build trust, innovate, monitor implementation of policies and services and hold providers accountable,” he said.
Gerald noted that increase in awareness and sensitisation on HIV/AIDS would provide the public with the right information on the disease.
He identified traditional belief and mentality as barriers to eradicating HIV/AIDS in the country.
Gerald noted that many people had developed certain mentality around HIV over time, which he said, had contributed to increase in the spread of the disease.
He stressed the need for public re-orientation to change people’s mindset toward HIV/AIDS.
“One of the major reasons we keep having the disease is because of the mentality around it.
“We have realised that the way we are seeing the disease is not helping matter. Rather, it is causing more spread and it is also causing difficulty seeking help or even getting treated.
“So, the objective this time around is to find way of changing that trend; let people come out better, get tested and treated on time to reduce the adverse effects associated with HIV.
“A lot has to be done about changing our mindset and the traditional belief about HIV,” Gerald said.
He emphasised the need to stop all forms of gender inequality in order to succeed in tackling HIV/AID in the country.
According to him, HIV/AIDS will continue to thrive as long as there is inequality, stressing that gender equality must be encouraged at all costs.
He listed people-centred infrastructure, equitable access to medicines, vaccines and health technologies, people-centred data systems that highlight inequalities and human rights protection, among others, as some of the measures needed to tackle HIV in the society. (NAN)
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December 1, 2023 @ 15:34 GMT|
Tags: Dr Chinasa Gerald
