Health Department urged to train healthcare workers on empathy and HIV support

HIV activist, Mluleki Zazini, has called on the Department of Health to provide comprehensive training for community healthcare workers to deliver empathetic and supportive HIV disclosure services.

The National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA) director made the recommendation at the HIV Stigma Index 2.0 launch, highlighting the urgent need to address discrimination and abuse against people living with HIV.

Zazini who is also the Chairperson for the People Living with HIV sector, urged national and provincial health departments to implement partner and social network referral programmes for HIV testing and said leaders of HIV education workshops should promote voluntary disclosure while emphasising confidentiality and empowerment for key populations.

Zazini also advocates for multisectoral collaboration and evidence-based, culturally sensitive campaigns to reduce HIV-related stigma. He further calls for increased resource mobilisation to implement stigma-reduction programmes and to track their impact.

He says more community-level interventions are urgently needed to combat HIV and AIDS-related stigma in South Africa.

The HIV Stigma Index — a globally standardised tool — measures the effects of stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations experienced by people living with HIV. It remains a critical instrument for informing policy and strengthening advocacy efforts.

Seventeen years after it was first implemented, the latest edition sampled around 5,000 participants across 18 districts, aged 15 and older.

Zazini says the study found that 65.5% of participants felt comfortable disclosing their HIV status only to immediate family members.

The study also revealed that 3.3% of participants had their HIV status disclosed without their consent — raising serious concerns about confidentiality and the protection of rights.

Zazini added that many people living with HIV remain unemployed, underscoring the need for more inclusive and supportive workplaces.

NAPWA principal investigator, Duncan Moeketse, says a significant number of people living with HIV reported feeling worthless because of their status.

He says the research found that 57.3% of men experience feelings of guilt and shame about living with the virus, with young people aged 18 to 24 making up the largest share.

Moeketse says some participants avoid social gatherings due to internalised stigma, while others abstain from sexual activity altogether. He adds that discrimination and abuse from society continue to fuel these attitudes.

The report also revealed that nearly 2% of participants — mostly women — were discouraged from having children due to their HIV status, while 0.6% said they had been pressured into sterilisation.

Currently underway: People Living with HIV (PLHIV) sector, led by NAPWA in partnership with SANAC, HSRC, and international partners, is launching the HIV Stigma Index 2.0 Report in Pretoria. This powerful study, based on insights from over 5,000 participants across all nine … pic.twitter.com/hWenESqe9I

— SANAC (@SA_AIDSCOUNCIL) December 9, 2025

Written by: Odirile Rabalao