By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Director General of the National Aids Secretariat (NAS), Abdul Rahman Sesay has expressed the need for an anti-stigma policy, saying they are working on having a policy that will stop the stigmatisation of HIV/AIDS patients across the country.
Sesay was speaking in a media brief on Friday 1st December at their head office in Freetown where he said they could not celebrate this year’s World HIV/AIDS Day due to what he described as the current security situation in the country.
“We don’t have any anti-stigma policy,” he said, adding that they have the National Aids Act which he noted is different from a policy.
The Director General said they are also working with the Judiciary of Sierra Leone to have a designated court that will be dealing with cases of stigmatisation against HIV/AIDS patients.
In his response, the Information, Education, and Communication officer of NAS, Abu Bakarr Koroma highlighted a section in the National Aids Act that states that HIV patients should not be discriminated in education, employment among others, adding that HIV patients should not be tested without their consent and that result status of patients should not be disclosed without the patient’s consent.
Speaking about stigmatization, a representative from the Aids Healthcare Foundation, Prevention and Advocacy, Esther Teh said communities should lead in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “We need to ensure that we stop stigmatizing people that are living with HIV/AIDS,” she added, saying HIV will not end if people continue to stigmatize patients.
She noted that HIV testing is free, encouraging all to know their HIV status.
“Interestingly, we now have a self-test kit,” she said. Ms Teh added that through tests, there is a linkage to care “It is very important” whether an individual is negative or positive.
The Program Coordinator of Labyrinth Global Health Sierra Leone, Serah Sidique said stigmatization of HIV patients is on the increase. She said they are working with the Sierra Leone Armed Forces (SLAF) to develop a code of ethics that can reduce stigmatization and discrimination.
The HIV programme covers three cascades such as testing, care, and treatment, Sidique said.
World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who've died of the disease.
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