Measuring HIV and Key Population Stigma within Health Facilities in Ghana

EARC in 2017 assisted the Health Policy Plus (HP+)  and Ghana AIDS commission to conduct a research into how stigma by health facility staff towards persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and key population affects their access to health care. 

The overarching goal of the study was to support the national HIV-response through the collection of data on stigma and discrimination among health facility staff working in health facilities, and clients living with HIV who utilize or could be utilizing (by virtue of geographical proximity) the selected health facilities. These data will support in strengthening the national HIV response by providing:

·         an overall view of the prevalence of the actionable drivers of stigma, as well as stigma manifestations in the selected health facilities to determine if and what kind of action may be needed

·         specific information for designing context-appropriate tailored S&D reduction activities that will be piloted in five health facilities

As part of the project, EARC with help from 3C Regional Consultants from Zambia trained 5 health facilities on how to reduce PLHIV and Key Population related Stigma in Health facilities.

The Co-Principal Investigators were: Dr. Nii Akwei Addo and Dr. Laura Nyblade, and the co-investigators were: Kyeremeh Atuahene (Ghana AIDS Commission), Emma Gyamera, Rosemond Owusu, Richard Vormawor and Christin Stewart and Stirling Cummings.

This project started in February 2017 and ended in June 2018. Findings from the research and the interventions were disseminated at a national forum at La Palm Royal Hotel, Accra.