HIV stigma in the healthcare setting : monitoring implementation of the Dublin Declaration on partnership to fight HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia

If the AIDS epidemic is to be brought to end by 2030, it is crucial to combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, as per United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 3 Target 3.3 [1] and the Paris Declaration [2]. The UNAIDS target related to stigma and discrimination is that less than 10% of people living with HIV and other key populations experience stigma and discrimination [3]. HIV stigma is a recognised barrier to achieving positive health and well-being, linked to negative healthcare outcomes such as delayed care, avoidance of health facilities, and poor adherence to medication, ultimately hampering HIV prevention and treatment efforts. Understanding how and in which contexts stigma manifests in healthcare settings, and what underpins stigmatising actions and behaviour among healthcare workers, is necessary to understand how best to intervene and address individual and institutional drivers of stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV.