AIDS CONCERN’S POSITION
We believe the discrimination towards people living with HIV mainly stems from the medical staff’s misunderstanding of the routes of transmission and the people living with HIV. Therefore, we urge the government to enhance the training of the frontline medical staff. Apart from eliminating their misunderstanding towards the people living with HIV, training can also equip them with the skills of identifying the needs of the people living with HIV so they can provide early counselling.
OUR ACTION
According to the figures released by the Department of Health in 2016, the number of HIV infection continued to rise in Hong Kong, with 19% of the people living with HIV aged above 50, indicating the high demand for elderly service of the elderly HIV patients. However, our frontline experience and survey showed that only six among the 700 elderly homes in Hong Kong were willing to provide service to the elderly living with HIV. This reflects the serious discrimination against this particular group of people. We spoke at a meeting of Joint Subcommittee on Long-term Care Policy of Legislative Council, urging the Government and general public to address the issue in May 2014, and also wrote to the Social Welfare Department for their attention to the issue in June 2014.
The Social Welfare Department has written to elderly homes in Hong Kong to reaffirm the transmission ways of HIV and the legal requirements set out in the Disability Discrimination Ordinance. It has collaborated with the Department of Health and the Equal Opportunities Commission to hold regular training seminars for elderly home staff members to remove their discrimination towards the patients.
According to the figures released by the Department of Health in 2016, the number of HIV infection continued to rise in Hong Kong, with 19% of the people living with HIV aged above 50, indicating the high demand for elderly service of the elderly HIV patients. However, our frontline experience and survey showed that only six among the 700 elderly homes in Hong Kong were willing to provide service to the elderly living with HIV. This reflects the serious discrimination against this particular group of people. We spoke at a meeting of Joint Subcommittee on Long-term Care Policy of Legislative Council, urging the Government and general public to address the issue in May 2014, and also wrote to the Social Welfare Department for their attention to the issue in June 2014.
The Social Welfare Department has written to elderly homes in Hong Kong to reaffirm the transmission ways of HIV and the legal requirements set out in the Disability Discrimination Ordinance. It has collaborated with the Department of Health and the Equal Opportunities Commission to hold regular training seminars for elderly home staff members to remove their discrimination towards the patients.