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Spouses' HIV status disclosed
15/07/2005 12:02 - (SA)
Singapore - Spouses of patients with HIV/Aids will now be informed of their partner's illness regardless of whether the infected individual agrees, the health ministry confirmed on Friday.
It is the first time official sanction has been given in the city-state to breach patient confidentiality.
Four women discovered they had the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) when they had blood tests during their pregnancies. The husband of one of the women had been diagnosed with Aids in 2001.
Protecting the vulnerable
Informing the spouses is necessary to protect the "vulnerable", senior minister of state for health Balaji Sadasivan said on Thursday.
To help doctors avoid the conflict of going against their patient's wishes, the ministry will set up an HIV prevention unit. Trained personnel will inform the spouses.
Balaji said the Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital is checking its records on married Aids patients who had not informed their partners. The spouses will be told under the new rules.
No discrimination allowed
The ministry has also taken steps to prevent discrimination against Aids patients.
It sent a circular to all doctors, clinics and hospitals informing them of changes in the way they should treat HIV patients.
It eliminates the previous requirement that a doctor secure a patient's consent and provide him with pre-testing counselling before conducting an HIV test. Instead, the patient now need only be "appropriately kept informed" of the test.
HIV patients, like people with other health problems, are entitled to early diagnosis and proper treatment, Balaji said.
"Oncologists do not delay diagnosis because of fears that the patient may be upset by the diagnosis, or because they think the patient cannot afford the treatment, or because there will be social consequences like being abandoned by their partner," he noted.
The ministry warned last year Singapore is headed for an Aids epidemic, placing the blame on homosexuals and men having unprotected sex in other countries. -Sapa-dpa
- SAPA
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