Emergency Room Series - Social Discrimination

There's something I've noticed about couples who come to the hospital, most of them are not being totally honest with each other about their state of health.

I've seen men(mostly) with conditions like tuberculosis, hepatitis, gonorrhea and HIV who manage the conditions on their own, take the necessary medications and yet choose to hide it from their spouse. I feel its because there's some kind of stigma attached to having conditions like that. 

For men living with HIV, the annoying part is that despite the fact that they are aware of their status, they still cheat on their wives or girlfriends, keep multiple partners and have children out of wedlock thereby increasing the rate at which the disease spreads. I know quite a lot of them who have the boldness to bring their wives and concubines to the same hospital for treatment (not HIV related treatment).


The frustrating part of it is that medical staffs can't do anything about it. Its against the law for me or any other hospital staff to reveal the status of a patient(especially HIV and hepatitis) to another party even if its for the benefit of the person.


I don't really see any difference between people living with HIV or hepatitis and people living with hypertension and diabetes. What's the difference asides the fact that its sexually transmitted? Does that make it a death sentence? Don't they all require drugs to live longer? Dont they all require diet modifications to live longer? This stigma really has to stop. HIV simply means your body can't defend itself against infections so it needs the help of drugs.


A male patient who works in a financial institution once told me to edit his referral letter/medical report because it stated he had HIV complications (reason he was admitted) and he would need to drop the letter at work, I wasn't even the one who wrote the letter initially. He knew he could lose his job if the office gets to know. It shouldn't be that way. His wife isn't even aware of his status because he feels she might leave him and he uses anti retroviral drugs while she doesn't.


Society is very quick to judge people living with HIV or hepatitis. They hardly get great jobs to work as only few people want to employ them. They feel you can only get it from sedentary or promiscuous lifestyles. That's very wrong and untrue. I once had a 10year old male patient living with full blown AIDS and both parents were negative. How do you explain that?


If you're one of those looking down on people living with HIV like they just signed a death sentence, I hope you change and see them differently. They need all the love and care that every other person deserves. They can live and work for many years as long as they use their meds., do you even know your status? Do you know that of your boyfriend or girlfriend you're having unprotected sex with? Do you know the status of that friend you share needles with to inject hard drugs? Do you know the status of that barber that uses the same clipper he has used on his head and others on your hair too? Do you know the status of your hair stylist who reuses needles to make your hair.


We can be so insensitive of our own health but very quick to judge others. Learn to love everyone regardless of their health conditions. It doesn't only apply to HIV or hepatitis but also epilepsy, mental diseases, tuberculosis , cancer and every other chronic health condition. Everyone deserves to be loved and be happy. Thank you


P.S: Although I don't read comments for every post but I've read a few arguments about if the poster is a nurse or Nigeria trained. Yes, I'm a Nurse, Nigeria trained and super proud to be one. Why is that strange?. 

To the majority who learn from these series posts, thank you for doing that. 

Good health can be expensive and I'm using my voice and profession to educate people in the best ways I can so as to avoid preventable diseases and reduce health cost. 

There's no greater joy than caring for someone and watching them get well. It gives you a great sense of fulfillment. 

Have a beautiful day everyone!

*So proud of you Honey...The money wey them take send you go school no waste at all!