The Key Populations Sensitisation course equips healthcare workers with the knowledge and skills to provide respectful, equitable and non-discriminatory healthcare to key populations. The course explores stigma, discrimination, personal assumptions and professional responsibilities, while addressing the specific healthcare needs and barriers experienced by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, people who use and inject drugs, and people in correctional centres. It also provides practical guidance on creating key population-friendly services, conducting sensitive risk assessments, and providing appropriate prevention, treatment, counselling and referral.

The purpose of this training is to:

  • Sensitise healthcare workers to stigma and discrimination as they relate to the five key populations.
  • Increase access and uptake of HIV/TB and STI prevention and treatment services by the key populations.
  • Provide healthcare workers with knowledge and skills to perform a comprehensive and sensitive risk assessment of key population individuals.
  • Provide healthcare workers with tools and resources to treat, care for, and refer individuals from the key populations to appropriate services.

About the course

  • Course Design: Self-directed online.

  • Duration: It will take approximately 6 hours to complete.

  • Eligibility for this course:
    • All healthcare workers

  • Accreditation: This course is accredited for:
    • HPCSA: 4 Clinical CPD points (Level 1); 2 Ethical CPD points (Level 1)
    • WCDHW Nursing: 3 CPD points in Area of Practice; 1 point in Ethics and Legal

  • Certification: Participants need at least 70% for the final quiz.

  • Published: October 2026

Course curriculum

The following topics are covered in this course:

Session 1: Healthcare for all

  • Purpose of this training
  • Key populations
  • Patients' rights
  • Batho Pele principles
  • Ensuring courtesy
  • Good and bad service
  • Appropriate health services
  • Organisational improvements
  • Personnel


Session 2: Assumptions and differences

  • What you see
  • Intersectionality
  • Norms
  • Stereotypes, stigma and discrimination
  • How stigma and discrimination affect people accessing health services
  • Human rights 


Session 3: Gender and sex 

  • Meanings of new terms
  • Gender identity and sexual orientation
  • Why some people are more at risk
  • Bridging the gap


Session 4: Sexual partners 

  • Meanings of new terms
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Transgender people
  • Sex workers


Session 5: People who use and inject drugs

  • Meanings of new terms
  • Why people use and inject drugs
  • Signs of drug use, withdrawal and overdose
  • Harm reduction, risk assessment and treatment
  • Social conditions
  • Accessing health services


Session 6: Inmates at correctional centres

  • Meanings of new terms
  • Who inmates at correctional centres are
  • Living conditions
  • Accessing health services
  • Risk assessment and special considerations 


Session 7: Towards key population-friendly clinics 

  • Making health facilities accessible to key populations
  • Violence and abuse in health facilities
  • Key roles in clinics, including peer educators
  • A client's journey
  • Managing the gap: your professional role and managing your reactions


Session 8.1: Clinical tips and clinical management

  • Key populations and risk
  • Taking histories and screening for risk
  • Risk assessment
  • Core package of services
  • Case studies


Session 8.2: Clinical tips and clinical management

  • Harm reduction – safer behaviours
  • Risk assessment and harm reduction:
    • Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men
    • Transgender people
    • Sex workers
    • People who use and inject drugs
    • People in correctional centres 



Western Cape Government Department of Health and Wellness
People Development Centre

Acknowledgements:

  • National Department of Health
  • The Aurum Institute
  • Knowledge Translation Foundation