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Secret HIV testing of patients |
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August 27, 2000
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - More than 50 physicians here are accused of HIV-testing patients without their knowledge or consent - and then passing on the result to the patients' employers, media reported Saturday.
The University of Witwatersrand's AIDS Law Project has filed complaints against the doctors with the Health Practitioners Association of South Africa. The tests were performed at the request of the patients' employers, the Johannesburg newspaper the Saturday Star reported.
Most patients were not given counseling before or after the test, the group said, adding that in some cases, test results were sent directly to the employer without informing the patient.
A positive result meant almost certain dismissal, the group said. In a fifth of the cases, the employee was a domestic worker. "It's nothing less than total discrimination. The doctor is not concerned with the well-being of the patient, just the continued loyalty of the employer who wants to know if their employee is HIV positive," said Jennifer Joni, an attorney with the project.
According to the Health Practitioners Association's rules, HIV tests can only be performed without a patient's consent if a health professional has been exposed to infection by a needle.
Possible punishments for physicians found to break the association's rules include a warning, a reprimand, a fine of less than 10,000 rand (dlrs 1,450), and suspension or removal from the medical register.
About 4.2 million South Africans - roughly 10 percent of the population - are HIV positive. |