UHS trains 100 healthcare providers on responding to the health needs of key populations students

The University Health Services on April 18 & 19, 2023 trained 100 healthcare providers (HCPs)
on responding to the health needs of key populations students. Participants were drawn from
various cadres including clinical, pharmaceutical, nursing, laboratory, health records, counseling,
administrative and support staff.
According to UNAIDS, key populations are groups who due to specific behaviors, are at
increased risk of HIV infection irrespective of the epidemic type or local context. Their
vulnerability to HIV is also increased by legal and social constraints such as criminalization and
stigmatization of their behaviors, respectively. As a result, they experience barriers to accessing
healthcare disproportionately compared to the general population.
During the opening of the training, the director Dr. Lucy Muhia noted that the purpose of the
training was to improve the knowledge, skills and competencies of HCPs in providing
comprehensive prevention, care and management interventions for students. It is envisaged that
in the long run, improved service delivery will have a direct impact on the productivity and
academic performance of students.
The training was led by our pharmacist, Dr. Samuel Mwaniki, who was supported by facilitators
from Jinsiangu (Gigi Louisa, Frankie Kibagendi and Ava Mrima) and Anthony Kikombo from
IshtarMSM.
Speaking after the training, participants noted the significance of the training stating, “the
training was an eye-opener, very educative and informative.” Another participant said, “This
training should be offered to all health workers to help key populations not to miss opportunities
in health.” Yet another participant noted, “The way the facilitators shared their lived experiences
made me resonate more with key populations. As a result, I am going to have a more inclusive
approach when attending to them.”
UHS will hold more of these trainings in future in a bid to continue building the capacity of its
members of staff to be able to offer quality services to the university community.