FHI - Empowering Local Healthcare Leaders

JANUARY 2009 — Despite his previous training in the provision of STI services, Wei Luo was initially apprehensive about working with the men who have sex with men (MSM). Now the director of the STI Clinic at the Kunming Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Luo credits FHI with helping him get past this reluctance. "What made me change my mind was the philosophy that each person has a right to health," he says. FHI strengthened Luo's capacity to work with MSM through various types of training. With this support, and the joint efforts of local stakeholders, Luo developed his skills and saw MSM gradually accept the services offered at the center, including quality STI services as well as counseling and testing.

FHI provided Luo with clinical training to familiarize him with the STIs and exams specific to MSM and to enhance his ability to communicate with MSM clients. The training also helped him understand the importance of standardized clinical practice in delivering STI services. A recent workshop focusing on MSM hotline counseling also contributed to his effectiveness. "I learned to apply a people-oriented perspective in providing counseling services to clients," Luo says.

With a strong commitment to providing STI services to people with HIV/AIDS, Luo is dedicated to improving quality of care through feedback and consultation with clients. He also emphasizes that the skills he relies on in delivering services to MSM are relevant to all populations. "Working well with MSM requires good communication," he says, "based on the principles of respect, equality, confidentiality, and a nonjudgmental attitude."

PHOTO: Dr Luo meets a client at the STI Clinic at the Kunming Center for Disease Prevention and Control. (FHI/China)