MARCH 13, 2025
MONICA KAYOMBO, Lusaka
IN A BID to address the pressing issue of stigma and discrimination in Zambian health facilities, ZAMBART recently conducted a stakeholder’s engagement and consultative meeting in Lusaka with stakeholders to see how best the new curriculum can help in institutionalizing the fight against stigma and discrimination.
The meeting, organized in collaboration with the Nurses and Midwifery Council and other stakeholders, aimed to identify strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings.
ZAMBART Deputy Director of Research Musonda Simwinga said the Total Facility Approach (TFA) study would go a long way in addressing the issue.
“The TFA study has been tried in several countries including Ghana and Tanzania and it has been found to work in terms of reducing stigma and discrimination in health facilities,” Dr Simwinga explained.
He said the TFA study’s significance was underscored by the stakeholders’ engagement, which sought to develop an expanded version of the approach tailored to Zambia’s specific needs.
One key area of focus was the review and revision of the Nurses and Midwives curriculum to equip new nurses with the skills necessary to reduce stigma and discrimination.
“Once the new curriculum is implemented, it would be used to train the new nurses, meaning that they would be equipped with skills of how to reduce stigma and discrimination before they go out into practice,” Dr. Simwinga noted.
In addition to curriculum reform, the stakeholders also emphasized the importance of ongoing training and retraining for already employed medical staff.
Dr Simwinga said This would help address gaps in their knowledge and skills related to reducing stigma and discrimination.
The study itself focused on gap analysis and need assessment of medical staff and other stakeholders. “What is significant is that the stakeholders identified gaps that would be included in the new curriculum,” Dr Simwinga observed.
The stakeholders meeting was led by experts, including curriculum developers, and provided a platform for stakeholders to co-develop strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination.
“There is a component in this study (TFA) and important areas for scaling up the project,” Dr. Simwinga said.
While progress has been made, Dr Simwinga acknowledged that revising and implementing the new curriculum would take time due to the structured process involved.
“But there is still a long way to revising and implementing the new curriculum because there are steps that are laid out to change or review a curriculum,” he cautioned.
HHe said the need for urgent action to address stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings cannot be over-emphasised.
Previous ZAMBART studies have revealed alarming levels of stigma and discrimination, particularly towards those infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Through the TFA study and stakeholders engagement, ZAMBART is taking a crucial step towards addressing this critical issue and promoting a more inclusive and compassionate healthcare system in Zambia.
