The Ministry of Health, with financial support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is making a deliberate attempt to improve healthcare services.

On Oct. 16, a four-day Stigma and Discrimination Training Workshop commenced at the Ministry of Health. Dr. Gail Gajadhar, the acting Senior Medical Officer for Infectious Diseases, said the workshop discussed how to address and eliminate discriminatory behaviours.

“We can encounter stigma or discrimination in many facets of our lives and in our work life as well. Stigma is all about attitudes and the feeling of someone or a group of people feeling that they are better than another, causing that person to feel like a small person. Discrimination is about an action and doing something to make a person feel like they are not worthy so the idea of the workshop is to sensitize healthcare workers. We have participants from St. Jude’s Hospital, from Victoria Hospital and from our Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic and it’s to sensitize our workers on what could happen, how to deal with it when it occurs, how we may actually be causing stigma or discriminating against another person, how we may unconsciously do it, how to avoid doing so, and how to manage with persons who do so in the work environment.”

Workshop Facilitator, Patricia Isaac-Joseph said, if the HIV and Tuberculosis pandemic is to be eradicated, then so must be the social barriers.

“One of the issues we recognize is that if people are not comfortable they don’t think they will be treated fairly, or if they don’t think their privacy or confidentiality is going to be maintained, they will not access the services. And we need persons who are living with HIV or TB to come in for their checks, to come in for their treatment and to take their treatment as they should otherwise we may end up with problems of drug resistance or declining health.”

Joseph said emphasis was placed on introspection in relation to self-awareness, attitudes, values and beliefs.