5. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Draft HIV Action Plan

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:23 pm on 14 June 2022.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 4:23, 14 June 2022

Thanks very much, Buffy. I think it's really important, the point that you make, because we know that HIV affects men, women, trans people, all kinds of people, and I think it's really important that we recognise that and we say that, again, out loud. That's why we've ensured that this plan is very inclusive and that no-one is left behind. What we find is that women are generally more comfortable getting engaged either with their GP or with the sexual health services for their sexual health needs, whether that's for contraceptive care or for a sexual health screening. Now, we recognise that there is a small minority of women who haven't engaged with these services, and we hope that the online testing services may be a mechanism through which those women who perhaps are more reluctant to come forward to have a face-to-face test with their GP or their sexual health clinic can do so in a different way. I do think that, actually, the pandemic has been transformative in that sense and has led to an increase in testing. I think the other thing, of course, is that women quite often get tested when they have antenatal testing. So, there are 48 new diagnoses in Wales, and, of these, around 10 of them were identified as female. So, it's really important that people bear in mind that women absolutely get HIV as well.