On 1 March 2019, the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) launched a new learning tool for addressing the stigma and discrimination faced by HIV affected people in healthcare. The launch coincided with Zero Discrimination Day, a day designated by the United Nations to advocate for a change in discriminatory laws or policies.
The online learning tool, named Removing Barriers, provides targeted training to healthcare professionals to review and improve their work practices which may be discriminatory to people affected by HIV, hepatitis B or C.
The tool aims to enable health practitioners to understand where stigma and discrimination come from by including firsthand accounts of affected people as well as other formal publications. The next steps require the practitioner to examine barriers to inclusive practice in their workplace and practice, and make a change.
Access the Removing Barriers learning tool here.