People living with HIV/AIDS in Kisumu have accused some nurses at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital of discrimination and hatred.
The National Coordinator of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Kenya Erick Okioma who spoke on their behalf said that the patients at the support centre in the hospital have had their rights violated.
Okioma said that some nurses have been using bad language towards the patients thus making them to begin to stay away from coming for care at the hospital. He said that many patients succumb to their illness as a result of the ongoing bad treatment at the hospital.
“At the support centre, some nurses are harsh to the patients and this makes avoid visiting the centre,” he said.
While speaking to this writer in Kisumu on Wednesday ahead of World Aids Day, Okioma said that HIV patients in Kisumu have undergone unfortunate incidences. Okioma further said that they have raised their complaints to the relevant authorities in the county but that no action has been taken.
“We are now collecting signatures to petition the county executive officer for health because our plea to some offices have gone unheeded,” he said.
When contacted, the Kisumu county chief officer for health Dr. Ojwang Lusi said his office has not received any complaint of that nature. Lusi said that the complaint being raised by people living with HIV is critical and goes against human rights as enshrined in the constitution and promised speedy investigations into the matter.