Assessment of Stigma and Discrimination Experienced by People Living with HIV and AIDS Receiving Care/Treatment in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

The research was designed to assess the stigma and discrimination faced by People living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) that are receiving treatment in UITH, Ilorin. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted on three hundred (300) people living with HIV and AIDS receiving care at the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics within University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (which was the only ART site in Kwara State as at then). A quantitative method through the use of interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study design. All the patients who came to the clinic and met the selection criteria were recruited until the desired sample size was reached. Data were analyzed by EPI-INFO 2005 software package. The mean age of the respondents was 39 years (SD = 9.32), and their age ranged between 19 and 65 years. About two thirds (64.7%) of the respondents were females, 62.7% were married, and 62.9% were from monogamous family settings. Slightly less than half (47.3%) of the respondents were not informed before they were tested for HIV, majority (63.3%) were not counseled before the test, but only 11% did not receive posttest counseling. One quarter of the respondents had experienced stigmatization/discrimination. Various forms of stigmatization/discrimination experienced by the respondents include blame for being responsible for their HIV status, various name callings, telling them that they are no more useful to anybody, violation of confidentiality, social isolation, restriction of their participation in family/religious activities, rejection by their spouses/families, dismissal from place of work, isolating them from other patients, and denying them care at health centers. It is therefore recommended that government at all levels should develop and implement programs to educate health care providers about HIV and AIDS, ethics, and treatment and care; educate the general population on HIV and AIDS, put in place policies that will reduce/stop HIV-related stigma and discrimination at all levels of the society, educate PLWHA on their right to live and work without discrimination, and also ensure full community participation in HIV control programs.