HIV/AIDS Practices / STls Practices MSM Friendly Service
According to the public health system reform in 2002, STIs clinics affiliated with the provincial public health offices or office of disease prevention and control were closed and transferred this mission to health service in local site. This caused the affect to providing STIs screening service for the special target groups such as sex workers and MSM. It is also affected to people who were ever treated STIs. The national health security system specified that hospitals in all levels are responsible for providing STIs care and treatment service to the special target groups. However, some public health service clinics or some hospitals arranged the service for youth with unsafe sex behavior, sex workers and MSM by integrating service to other groups. It is possible to affect the confidentiality. In addition, some providers lacked of understanding sexuality of youth, sex workers and MSM. The missed proactive implementation affected to the intervention on reproductive health, STIs prevention and control, and HIV/AIDS infection.
At present, partnership networks adopt the concept of friendly service and apply for the target groups such as youth, sex workers, and MSM so that they can access to health service. HIV and STIs testing is the first entry for reducing new HIV, death related HIV, and HIV stigma and discrimination.
Friendly service is aimed to increase the target population to receive service so that the clients can understand sexual health information, HIV and STIs risk assessment, pregnancy, access to screening process in order to get care and treatment. It is to reduce the disease transmission. Related agencies gain update information in order to determine policy or implement the program in time. Characteristics of friendly services are comprised of attractive service, convenient setting, appropriate time service, target populations demand, sufficient medical supply of commodities and drugs, and affordable fee. Target population will receive comprehensive sexual health and psycho-social service continuously. Therefore, capacity building is essential for all providers. They should have positive attitude of service, understand sexuality of target groups, respect human dignity, keep confidentiality, not reject service, and have comprehensive information.
Source : Guideline for implementing friendly service for sex workers and men who have sex with men, Bureau of AIDS, TB and STIs, year 2013