Meet Deborah Monari who is a nurse from Nairobi County in the healthcare sector and is deeply passionate about ensuring that everyone receives compassionate and quality care without discrimination.
World AIDS Day, designated on December 1 every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease.
This year’s theme, Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right! is a rallying cry for accessible, rights-based healthcare that empowers those affected by HIV/AIDS to live vibrant and fulfilling lives.
Meet Deborah Monari who is a nurse from Nairobi County in the healthcare sector and is deeply passionate about ensuring that everyone receives compassionate and quality care without discrimination.
Her journey began with a desire to take care of people and serve her community. However, her trust in the medical system was shattered when she experienced medical negligence firsthand.
Deborah’s own experience of misdiagnosis and negligence led her to advocate for change within the healthcare system. She initiated a petition, signed by over 1,000 people, calling for the establishment of Patient Rights Committees in Kenya.
Deborah Monari, an advocate for medical and social justice at Nguvu Collective. /HANDOUT
Her campaign highlights the power of individuals to drive transformational change and aims to prevent future suffering, save lives, and ensure access to safe and reliable healthcare for all citizens.
Her Petition: Stop bill that makes contraceptives unaffordable for women of reproductive age. Click here to access it
The nurse, an advocate for medical and social justice at Nguvu Collective, tells it all in an exclusive interview with Viral Tea, touching on her push to make reproductive health, in the current economy in Kenya, more affordable:
1. You’ve been a strong advocate for affordable healthcare, especially in reproductive health. How do you think increasing the accessibility of sexual and reproductive health products can help in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Kenya?
Making sexual and reproductive health services and products accessible, such as contraceptives, HIV testing kits, and comprehensive maternal care plays a crucial role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Kenya. When access is affordable and widespread, it reduces the risk of unintended pregnancies and promotes safer sexual practices, directly contributing to lower HIV transmission rates.
2. What role do you think the government should play in ensuring that essential health products like condoms, contraceptives, and HIV testing kits are easily available and affordable for everyone, especially young people and vulnerable populations?
The government still has a critical role in ensuring that essential health products are both accessible and affordable. It should allocate sufficient budgetary resources to reproductive health and HIV prevention programs and resist regressive financial proposals and healthcare budgetary cuts that threaten equitable healthcare access. Additionally, the government must adopt an equity-focused approach, tailoring policies to address the specific needs of vulnerable populations, such as adolescents, individuals with disabilities, and rural communities.
It should partner with local healthcare providers and community-based organizations to distribute these products effectively and raise awareness about their use. Government hospitals usually have limited options to choose from in terms of subsidised contraceptive methods that may not work for everyone. It is important to consider other existing methods and make them accessible to all.
In addition to this infrastructure, the government should fund awareness campaigns to ensure that efforts are embraced by the citizens.
3. In the context of reducing unwanted pregnancies, how do you see affordable contraceptive access playing a role in the prevention of HIV transmission, especially among teenagers?
When adolescents have access to contraception, they are more likely to engage in safer sexual practices, reducing the risk of unintended pregnancies that often lead to school dropouts and economic hardship. Additionally, access to dual protection methods, such as condoms, provides simultaneous protection against both pregnancy and HIV, addressing two critical reproductive health challenges at once.
Traditional cultural beliefs and religious beliefs in Kenya often discourage adolescents from contraceptive use and teach abstinence as the only way. These teachings are often insufficient and leave major gaps in understanding. We should empower teenagers to take control of their sexual health instead and reduce their vulnerability to HIV infection.
4. Considering the alarming number of teenage pregnancies you mentioned in your petition, what more can be done to provide sexual and reproductive health education that includes HIV prevention and contraception?
To address the high rates of teenage pregnancies, a comprehensive and context-specific sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education curriculum must be implemented in schools. This curriculum should go beyond biological concepts to include practical information on contraception, HIV prevention, and safe sexual practices.
It should also address social and cultural issues that influence adolescent behaviour, such as harmful gender norms and peer pressure. Engaging local healthcare professionals to deliver age-appropriate and relatable SRH education can make the information more relevant and impactful.
Furthermore, incorporating digital platforms and peer-led programs can enhance outreach and engagement, ensuring that young people have access to accurate and timely information.
5. What would you recommend as key interventions in making HIV testing and related health services more accessible and less stigmatizing, especially for women and marginalized communities?
To make HIV testing and related health services more accessible and less stigmatizing, several key interventions are necessary. First, community-based testing initiatives should be expanded, bringing services closer to where people live and work, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Second, public awareness campaigns should focus on destigmatizing HIV by addressing myths and misconceptions and promoting HIV testing as a routine part of self-care.
Lastly, engaging community leaders and peer educators to advocate for HIV testing can build trust and encourage uptake, especially among women and marginalized groups who may face additional barriers to accessing these services. Programs to reach out to high-risk groups such as sex workers should also be strengthened, and ensure that everyone is included in the fight against HIV transmission.
This World AIDS Day, @DeborahMonari Advocate for Medical & Social Justice at @nguvucollective shares her views on breaking barriers to accessible sexual and Reproductive Health and how it can save millions from HIV in Kenya#NguvuChangeLeader #WorldAIDSDay
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— Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) December 1, 2024
