Discriminatory experiences within health-care settings can be especially common and pernicious. Country data reported to UNAIDS show that the proportions of people belonging to key populations who avoid health-care services due to stigma and/or discrimination remain disconcertingly high. Across all key populations, at least one in three reporting countries stated that more than 10% of respondents avoided health care, including three in four countries for people who inject drugs.

Removing laws that harm, such as laws on sex work, same-sex sexual relations, the use or possession of drugs for personal use and the non-disclosure, exposure or transmission of HIV, is one way of overcoming stigma and discrimination and hence increasing the uptake of services by key populations.