On the heels of a report last week that shows Saskatchewan has the highest number of HIV cases in Canada, the local Five Hills Health Region is trying to help remove the stigma attached to getting tested.

Officials are trying to get the word out that being tested for HIV should not be looked down upon... it's no different than getting tested for something like Hepatitis. it should just be routine.

Dr Mark Vooght says the benefits speak for themselves. "Its very important that we detect HIV in a patient as soon as possible to get them on treatment and the second is that they aren't unwittingly spreading it to others."

While there were a reported 170 cases of HIV in the province last year, officials say they see very few cases of HIV locally, typically between zero and two cases a year.