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A REPORT conducted in 2012 titled: �Realities and Experiences of Antiretroviral Treatment Compliance: Perspectives from People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Northern Region� was released at a Regional HIV and AIDS Stakeholders Forum in Tamale, on Tuesday. The forum, attended by representatives from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations as well as PLHIV, was to acquaint participants with the current HIV and AIDS issues in the region, review progress and chart the best way forward. The report, which was a summary of various focus group discussion by 47 PLHIV in the region, said the unprofessional acts of the nurses had exposed PLHIV to public ridicule and stigmatization, a situation which sometimes discouraged them from going to the hospitals to receive ART medications. It said stigmatization was impacting negatively on the economic status of PLHIV as members of the public who knew about their HIV status refused to purchase items being sold by them. The report quoted one of the participants in the focus group discussions as saying ��they (nurses) toss our folders to each other especially during admissions and talk about us (gossiping) in English thinking we do not understand the English language.� It also quoted another participant as saying, �When the date is due for collection of drugs, my heart beats because the one giving the drugs is from my area.� Bede Ziedeng, Northern Regional Minister, whose speech was read for him, said even though the latest HIV and AIDS prevalence was low, there was need to devise pragmatic and innovative strategies to further reduce the trend.