DILI, 09 august 2021, (TATOLI) – The Chief Unit of the HIV/AIDS under the department of the communicable diseases of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Bernardino da Cruz called communities to not stigmatize and discriminate against people living with HIV.
“Discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS Persist. Many people are afraid to visit hospitals/health facilities to get tested because of the fear of stigmatization and discrimination by communities,” Cruz told TATOLI, at his office in Dili, today.
Cruz said many people abandoned the treatment due to the stigma and discrimination against them in society.
“Since 2003, 70 HIV patients died after lost to follow up,” Cruz said.
“Therefore, Stigma and Discrimination were part of the MoH’s essential programs for combating HIV in the country. Thus, sensitizing the communities is important to make them aware that AIDS is not a disease; it is just an accumulation of several symptoms that affect the human immune system. So, we don’t combat the person with the virus but we combat the virus,” said Cruz.
He called on all relevant entities and communities to stand together to fight the virus and not the people living with HIV/AIDS: “We need to treat them with dignity and respect because they are human just like anybody else.
“We need to create an enabling environment for people living with HIV. They have the virus, and our role is to support and encourage them to have regular treatment to live like anybody else in the community,” affirmed Cruz.
Since 2003 the Ministry of Health had recorded 1408 HIV infections, 157 deaths after receiving treatment, and 70 deaths lost to follow-up.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
