Vivências de pessoas em situação de rua com diagnóstico de HIV/Aids: possibilidades de compreensão a partir de Heidegger e Merleau-Ponty

Abstract

The difficult access of homeless people to health services is mainly due to the inability of the institutions to meet this public in its specificities. The difficult access of the population living on the street to healthcare services is mainly due to the difficulty of institutions to assist this public in its specificities. One of the major health issues in this community is sexually transmitted HIV/AIDS infection, primarily because they are unable to access treatment. The objective of this study was to understand the experiences of people living on the street diagnosed with HIV/AIDS from the perspective of Martin Heidegger's and Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology. Qualitative research was used based on the phenomenological research method in psychology, using a socioeconomic questionnaire, a field diary, and a phenomenological interview. Participants included eight people living on the streets and living with HIV/AIDS in Manaus-AM. The collection of materials followed World Health Organization guidelines to prevent the transmission of Covid-19. The analysis of the data, according to the directives of Amadeo Giorgi, gave rise to four categories: 1. The cocoon of street situation: life's journey led me to the place where I am!; 2. The cocoon of diagnosis: the facticity of being-living-with-HIV; 3. The cocoon of the old home and the awakening of new relationships: being-with and intercorporeality; and 4. Breaking out of the chrysalis: the metamorphosis through learning, the challenges experienced, and the projection into the future. It is concluded that despite the vulnerabilities and human rights abuses faced by people living on the street with HIV/AIDS, They are beings-in-the-world who see the possibilities of changing their condition, planning for the future, and creating connections. There is a need to implement specific public policies for this community and to train health professionals to respond appropriately to the demands of the street environment.