Few people are aware of their rights as patients when they fall ill, and in 2015, Olya was one of those unaware. She was diagnosed with TB and without being informed that she had a choice in her treatment and care, she was immediately admitted to a TB hospital. This caused her to lose her business and be separated from her daughter. Had she been better aware of her rights and known that ambulatory treatment was a choice for her, she could have been saved from the isolation from society and separation from her family, as well as the additional risks associated with her hospitalization.
After experiencing discrimination, Olya's only desire was to change the history of tuberculosis in Ukraine and the world as a whole. By advocating for the rights of people with tuberculosis over the past five years, Olya has managed to form a team of like-minded people and the TB community in Ukraine today is a prime example of how a vulnerable community can become a partner for the state and at the Government and National Health Program time an advocate for patients.
The Global Fund provides comprehensive support to strengthen the role of vulnerable communities and Olya believes that only together we can really achieve the sustainable development goals and defeat epidemics by 2030.
Olya Klymenko - GFAN Speakers Bureau
“People have the right to support without stigma and condemnation, we are all in need of a change in thinking. By defeating stigma, we will take a huge step towards saving millions of lives, including children, who today are discriminated against because of illness, just like adults."