A new study released last week  shows that 40 percent of health workers in  public, private, faith based and non governmental health facilities exhibit stigma and discrimination tendencies against HIV Aids positive patients.

 Conducted between 2006 and 2007 in the country’s five provinces, the study reveals how government hospitals are operating without standard policy guidelines for People Living with HIV Aids (PLHIV), despite the policy documents lying at the Ministry of Health.

According to the study, at least 35 percent of health facilities sampled lacked policy guidelines and therefore were operating in an ad hoc manner when dealing with HIV Aids positive people.

“About 75 percent of the health providers are aware of the existence of the policies even though a good percentage has not seen the policy paper,” says Dr. Julius Korir, the lead researcher and lecturer at Kenyatta University’s Department of Economics.

Of the health providers interviewed, 25 percent were unaware of the existence of the national policies around stigma and discrimination.

“It is unfortunate to note that health personnel in public hospitals are not aware of the existing policy guidelines on stigma and discrimination in the country,” says Dr. Dan Wendo, Health Policy Initiative (HPI) Country Director.

In terms of the levels of discriminatory care in health facilities, it was found that medical officers are leading with 38 percent followed by laboratory technicians. Other supportive staffs such as cooks and security personnel were however friendlier to the people living with HIV Aids.

The stigma was manifested in various ways. Out of 671 health care providers who were interviewed, only 19 percent are reported to be blaming infected people for what befell them. Some were found to accuse the sock for being promiscuous and at times blame women for the spread of the scourge.

According to Dr. Korir, the blames are more pronounced in public health facilities than in faith based ones. The cadre of personnel that were fond of blaming HIV positive people were at the level of subordinate staffs -cleaners and other low cadre staffs.

Approximately, 11 percent of the health providers interviewed say that they will be ashamed if they were to be infected or if a member of their family was HIV positive.

About 17 percent of public health providers interviewed were found to fear casual contacts with people who are HIV positive compared to 13 percent in private health facilities. Overall, counselors were found to be the most fearful personnel.

The study was sponsored by HPI with support from USAID and was conducted in 20 districts in Coast, Nyanza, Central, Rift Valley and Nairobi provinces.

The researchers behind the study,  Dr. Korir, Dr. Paul Odundo from the University of Nairobi and Mr. James Kamau of KETAM, also used the research to test how best the USAID Interagency Working Group (IGW) indicators for measuring HIV/aids related stigma and discrimination captured data at health provider level.

Dr. Odongo notes that stigma and discrimination associated with HIV Aids is widespread and continues to become a barrier to maximizing benefits of interventions that has so far been registered in the country.

Their study recommends that health facilities provide in house policies and guidelines on stigma and discrimination to their employees.

“There is need for sustained advocacy for the implementation of laws and policies that support People Living with HIV Aids as a way of punishing discrimination,” says Mr. Kamau.

 Dr Wendo said stigma and discrimination exists mainly in formal sector and challenged people discriminated against to stand up for their rights.

 He complained that despite African heads of states having made strong statement against the vice, no funds have been allocated against its eradication in the society.