South Africa: Health Care Sector Unfriendly to Gay Men - Living With Aids

The homophobic attitudes of public health care workers may have a direct influence on the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the gay community. Many gay men or men who have sex with other men avoid the public health service out of fear of being ridiculed.

Gay men or men who have sex with men in township areas like Soweto are less likely to seek health care in the public sector as a result of the inhumane treatment that they often endure at the hands of public health care workers. According to Dr Michael Laurino, clinical manager of Health4Men, a dedicated clinical and psychological service for men who have sex with men in Johannesburg, this has been documented in a few studies.

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