Editorials

HIV/AIDS discrimination

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-25 08:05

While discrimination against HIV carriers and AIDS patients still widely exists in China, the problem is even more prominent when it comes to medical treatment.

HIV carriers and AIDS patients face medical discrimination and are frequently referred to specialized hospitals for infectious diseases after being denied at general hospitals, according to a study released on May 17 by the United Nations' International Labour Organization and the National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control and Prevention.

The study was based on interviews with 103 people living with HIV and 23 healthcare workers. Another survey by the center found 12.1 percent of the HIV-infected interviewees had experienced denial of medical treatment at least once.

Related readings:  HIV/AIDS sufferers rejected by hospitals  Shock for HIV/AIDS patients  How early treatment can limit the spread of HIV  HIV patients face medical discrimination

Currently, many HIV/AIDS sufferers are limited to healthcare treatment in designated departments for infectious diseases. However, due to the lack of comprehensive treatment facilities, most of these hospitals cannot provide comprehensive medical services, especially major operations.

Hospitals must stop shirking their responsibility to heal the wounded and help the dying. Their excuse that people infected with HIV should be transferred to designated hospitals for infectious diseases so as to better protect surgeons and other patients from being infected does not hold water.

In fact, it is ignorance about HIV, concerns about occupational exposure to HIV and the lack of a compensation mechanism for occupational exposure that has caused this situation.

Medical staff should be taught AIDS-related knowledge and protection skills and occupational protection measures should be adopted in hospitals to protect medical personnel from exposure to HIV.

With full awareness of HIV and relevant occupational protection measures, mainstream hospitals could provide HIV patients with the same medical treatment as other patients.

The country's Regulation on the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS clearly states that medical institutions should not turn away patients with HIV or refuse treatment on the grounds that a patient is infected.

For hospitals that decline to provide surgery services for HIV/AIDS sufferers, the relevant authorities should investigate and punish those in charge in accordance with the law. A supervision and complaints platform should also be established.

The right to access medical treatment is one of the basic human rights. Chinese leaders have many times visited AIDS patients in person and called for the elimination of discrimination.

But a great deal of work remains to be done if the nation is to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment by 2015.

China Daily

(China Daily 05/25/2011 page8)