By Rauf Oyewole
Stakeholders in health sectors and civil society organisations have identified stigmatisation as an impediment in efforts to eliminate HIV and Tuberculosis treatment, while urging more sensitisation and education to prevent a surge in cases amid funding cuts.
The stakeholders who include 40 representatives drawn from government institutions and non-governmental organisations believed that the gender barrier and stigmatisation have made it difficult to tackle the menace in addition to foreign funding halt.
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While speaking in Jos on Saturday at the end of a two-day training on breaking gender barriers and stigmatisation in health care services, the Executive Secretary of the Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (BACATMA), Dr. Adamu Sambo, said that the training became necessary for the participants who work at the communities.
The Better Life Restoration Initiative (BERI), organised the training under the Gender Equity Fund and supported by The Global Fund (GEF Project). Organisations led by women and those operating at the communities were charged to design, advocate, implement gender transformative and affirmative, with an approach to health and focus on Tuberculosis, HIV and malaria.
Sambo described his Agency as the major beneficiary of the training while 40 organisations gave insights and methodology on how to eliminate stigma and gender issues blocking access to health care services in the state.
The BACATMA boss said that vulnerable and less privileged people were experiencing gender related barriers. According to him, to balance gender issues in health care services, the state has prioritised recruitment of both female and male health workers.
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Speaking on the elimination of stigmatisation, Sambo said that the State has also adopted and domesticated anti-stigma law and with that we have fought stigma to a minimum level. “So many of the people that are accessing HIV care in Bauchi State don't feel stigmatised anymore. We have sensitised our people that it is not a death sentence and that is why you see patients moving around freely with other people.
The Programme Manager, Gender Equity Fund Project of Better Life Restoration Initiative (BERI), Deborah Ajibola said that the training brought participants from the Ministry for Women Affairs and Child Development, and other relevant agencies including women led and community based organisations.
Speaking on different topics, the Nkem Ogbonna, highlighted some areas where gender outcome could be measured. He said that: economic, education, health, safety and politics are yardsticks to measure how women are fairing. “In economic growth, women are seeing major drivers. Are they economically empowered?
“In education, what is the level of women's education and professionalism in the country? In health, do we have a considerable ratio of women to men in our health care system? In safety, how secure are the women, how many of them feel safe in our society? In politics, what is the level of women participation in politics and the decision making process?”
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