Mpumalanga we’re coming!

Health4Men, a
project of the Anova Health Institute and funded by PEPFAR/USAID, has initiated
a process to ensure that gay and bisexual men living in Mpumalanga will be able
to access competent sexual health care.

While
Health4Men will continue to provide direct health services at their existing network
of clinics in Gauteng and the Western Cape, the project will not be
establishing specialised Health4Men clinics in Mpumalanga. “Instead, we are
providing both intensive training and mentoring to Department of Health staff
working within existing public clinics to ensure that they are able to provide
relevant and competent services to gay, bisexual and straight men who have sex
with men”, explains Health4Men’s programme manager, Glenn de Swardt. “In future
a gay man will be able to get competent medical services from any healthcare
worker at specific sites, which have been selected in partnership with the
Department of Health, and trained by Health4Men.”

In order to
roll out the services in Mpumalanga, two hubs are being established in the
province, within existing Department of Health facilities in Ermelo and
Nelspruit respectively. These two sites will serve as anchors for the training
and mentoring of health workers in Mpumalanga.

Health4Men’s
model for training staff at clinics has been revised following extensive
testing and evaluation in various settings, including urban and rural clinics.
In addition it was tested in Uganda, generally considered a ‘hostile’ environment
due to that country’s outspokenly homoprejudiced ethos. The training model
includes a full day of psychosexual content which addresses nurses’ attitudes
towards gay men and towards anal sex in particular, and a second day of medical
training. “The medical training is essential in order to develop competent
services. For example, sexually transmitted infections often present different
in gay men who could have symptoms in their throats (from oral sex) or anally.
Adherence issues are also different when we work with gay men”, says
Health4Men’s Dr Oscar Radebe.

An important
aspect of the Health4Men training model focuses on ethical issues, such as
maintaining confidentiality about men’s sexual identities and behaviours. Says
Dr Radebe: “It is crucial that men must be able to feel comfortable talking to
health workers about sensitive issues. In addition to teaching nurses how to
talk comfortably about sex with gay and bisexual men, we place a large emphasis
on patient confidentiality”

Following
training, nurses undergo additional mentoring by a specially trained nurse
mentor. “While training provides necessary knowledge, mentoring provides
healthcare workers with the necessary skills to ensure that gay men receive
appropriate healthcare” explains de Swardt. “Mentoring needs to be an ongoing
process to ensure a high standard of care.” Two nurse mentors are being
appointed to mentor nurses in Mpumalanga. 

While
specific sites are being trained to provide gay-friendly competent services,
the Health4Men model also emphasises the need to engage with gay and bisexual
men living in local communities. “We need to ensure that local communities are
kept informed of the available services at their local clinics, and gay and
bisexual men need to know more about their own sexual health so that they will
know when to request health services. In addition to working with various
informal networks of gay and bisexual men, we will also interact with relevant
grass-roots organisations to ensure that men living in local communities have
the best health outcomes”, explains de Swardt. “The provision of health
services, HIV prevention programmes and the promotion of sexual health go
hand-in-hand.”

De Swardt
emphasised that the rollout of competent services is being done in partnership
with the Mpumalanga Department of Health. “The department has been
exceptionally supportive and they are driving this process very efficiently. We
are also partnering with the department to host a one-day symposium on men who
have sex with men (MSM) in the province during July. These are very exciting
developments for gay and bisexual men living in Mpumalanga.”

To stay
informed of developments join the Health4Men team on Facebook or visit their
website, www.health4men.co.za