Involving religious leaders in HIV care and treatment at a university-affiliated hospital in Ethiopia: Application of formative inquiry

ABSTRACT

In sub-Saharan Africa, religious views strongly influence how people relate to illness, health, and healing. Belief in the curative power of religion, including for HIV, persists in many communities. As such, many funding agencies and organisations working in the field of HIV have incorporated religious institutions into their programmes in various capacities. Yet, debate continues regarding the benefits and drawbacks of including sectarian organisations in the fight against HIV. In the current study, we sought to explore whether patients with HIV would be amenable to receiving HIV-related psychosocial support from religious leaders. We interviewed 48 Ethiopian Orthodox Church followers who presented for routine HIV care at Gondar University Hospital ART (antiretroviral treatment) clinic. Although almost half (46%) of participants self-identified as ‘very religious’, the majority of them (73%) had not disclosed their HIV status to a religious leader. Study participants highlighted multiple factors that could potentially affect their willingness to involve religious leaders in their HIV care. We discuss these findings in relation to religion and HIV in the African context. Our findings support the use of formative qualitative work prior to developing and implementing programmes that integrate faith and medical communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethiopian Orthodox Church
• religious leaders
• HIV
• Ethiopia
• disclosure

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the participants of this study. We also like to thank the University of Gondar ART clinic staff who helped with recruitment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by a fellowship award from Strengthening Care Opportunities through Partnership in Ethiopia (SCOPE). SCOPE is a partnership between University of Washington, University of Gondar, University Presbyterian Church, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.