TRIBUNPEKANBARU.COM – PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI) Refinery Unit (RU) Dumai conducted a workshop on training psychosocial cadres to eliminate stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) in society, through a workshop titled “Unite Steps to Prevent HIV, All Equals End AIDS”, at Sasana Mitra Bukit Datuk Building, on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
Head of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) Division of Dumai City Health Bureau Novalino Noer Adha explained that HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have become a problem of cheers to the world community, as well as Indonesia, and Dumai City is no exception.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, there are 543,100 people infected with the HIV virus in Indonesia. Meanwhile, up to November 2022, Dumai City Health Service data obtained information that HIV cases had reached 536 HIV cases and 317 AIDS cases.
According to him, currently people living with HIV (ODHIV) in Dumai city are reluctant to open up, because there is negative stigma in society, so they don’t go to health facilities. Because it goes undetected, not given the proper drug, HIV will become AIDS and eventually die.
“Because of the negative stigma in society, PLHIVs don’t want treatment, so they become AIDS. If it reaches the AIDS stage, it will be even more difficult to cure,” she said.
Area Manager Communication, Relations & CSR, Nurhidayanto, disclosed that this seminar and health education activities were part of a series of events at KPI RU II Dumai in commemoration of World AIDS Day, which fell on 1 December .
He explained PT KPI RU Dumai they want to produce cadres in society who understand the HIV transmission process, so that negative stigma will not appear, and it will also eliminate discrimination against PLHIV. With frameworks in place to relay information to the community, hopefully there will be no more stigma and PLWHA can open up for treatment.
“Our society is currently not very familiar with HIV transmission, so cadres are needed in the community. Cadres will then socialize that HIV is not transmitted through normal daily activities,” the man who is familiarly called Yanto .
It is hoped that the presence of psychosocial cadres in the community will provide a deeper understanding of HIV and make PLHIVs willing to seek treatment and reduce the number of PLHIVs in Dumai City.
In addition to KPI RU Dumai, the activity was also attended by the East Dumai Subdistrict Head represented by Jaya Mukti Village Head, Tanjung Palas Village Head, Posyandu and PKK cadres, as well as RT Head Tanjung Palas Village and Jaya Mukti, Dumai city. As resources, PT KPI featured Dumai City Health Bureau, Sebaya Foundation, and Indonesian Family Planning Association. (rls/adv).
