The HIV-infected patients are facing discrimination in Armenia's medical facilities, Hovhannes Madoyan, Board Member, Technical Advisor, Real World Real People NGO, told ArmInfo.
He said there are extremely rare cases of direct refusal to provide medical assistance. Meanwhile, the HIV- infected patients often face unequal conditions at medical facilities, for instance, they are at the end of the line for necessary medical care. The medical facilities may refuse to provide the necessary care to the HIV- patients pleading that there is no necessary equipment or specialist.
The expert believes that medical workers try to avoid contacts with the blood of the HIV-infected patients, since they are not always informed of the post-contact preventive measures.
Madoyan mentioned another reason of why HIV-patients face discrimination at medical facilities. He claims that specialists often believe that treatment of the HIV-infected persons are senseless and refuse to provide the full spectrum of services to this category of patients.
Nevertheless, there are downward trends in the cases of discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, as public awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention increases.
As of 30 September 2014, the number of HIV-patients in the country reached 1881 since 1988, with male patients accounting for 69% of total HIV-infected people, children - 2%. 53% of all the people living with HIV are at the age of 25-39. AIDS was diagnosed among 966 HIV-patients, including 21 children and 250 women. Since 1988, 398 people with HIV/AIDS died in Armenia, including 68 women and 7 children.
Nearly all HIV-patients infected through injections were male, while 97% of female patients were infected though sexual contact with infected person.
Yerevan accounts for 34.5% of total HIV-patients in the country (649 people). Then goes Shirak region with 11.4%.