Some Stories
Regarding Stigma and Discrimination related to HIV in China
Konglai Zhang,
M.D.
As the results of lacking awareness on HIV
issues and misinterpretation of the symptomatic appearance of AIDS patients,
stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV have been prevailing in
China. There is the belief that good
people do not get HIV and those who get HIV are not good people. Here are some of the typical stories:
1. In the mid 1990s, a physician practicing
Chinese herbal medicine was sent by the government on a medical corps. He was infected overseas. Upon his return and being identified to be
HIV positive, he lost his job. His wife
was rejected by shop attendants when shopping and was neglected by
neighbors. His only son was forced to
leave the primary school. When he
finally developed AIDS, all the local hospitals refused to accept him, driving
him to stay in a hospital in Beijing.
Many nurses working at the hospital stayed away from him and refused to
serve him food and care, even the barber at the hospital refused to help him
with a haircut. The physician in charge
treated him as part of the family, but the man had to take care of his daily
life until he died in peace.
2. A young boy became HIV positive as the
result of a post operational blood transfusion. The parents were politely asked to come to the school by the
master and to transfer the boy to any other school. In fact, no school was open to him after a series of
attempts. He finally had to stay away
from school with no friends and teachers around. Life has become very difficult for him and the family. The local government and even the Ministry
of Health were involved to persuade the school to accept him, but the efforts
were in vain.
3. A farmer living in the countryside was visited by health workers from the local Disease Prevention Center at home. When the ambulance was approaching the house, the neighbors were curious gathering around and asking for information but no news was released. When the health workers came out from his house, they took off the masks, gloves, caps and white gowns to threw them on the ground and left. This action caused suspicion by the neighbors who finally found out the fact. With all families of the village participating, the crowd came to the office of the township leaders asking the political leaders to drive the patient and his family away from the village. However, there was no place for the family to go except staying at the same village to face all the discrimination.