Materia Medica Malaysiana

Preventing spread of AIDS to innocent

BALING: The Health Ministry will consider introducing a provision under the law to act against HIV-infected patients who intentionally spread the disease through sexual contact.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the provision was necessary as there were cases of HIV patients having sex with their spouses or partners despite knowing they were spreading the deadly disease.
He said there might also be a need for the medical profession to review its Code of Conduct where HIV cases were concerned as doctors were now bound by the code not to disclose confidential information obtained from patients.
Dr Chua said some countries had implemented laws to prevent the spread of AIDS to innocent people.
In Malaysia, such a provision under the law was relevant to check the spread of the disease, he told reporters after a working visit to Baling Hospital here yesterday.
“The ministry hopes this provision will help reduce the number of HIV patients in future.
“Currently, the law does not provide for action to be taken against those who purposely spread the disease to their spouses or partners through sexual contact.
“With the provision, HIV-infected patients who intentionally infect others through sexual contact will be deemed as having committed an offence under the law.”
On Thursday, Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar urged the Health Ministry to fulfil its social obligation by allowing the confidentiality of married men infected with HIV to be lifted.
He had said there had been cases of doctors upholding their code of conduct and keeping mum about their HIV-positive patients.
On another matter, Dr Chua said the ministry would step up checks on Indonesians entering the country to stem the spread of polio.
He said the decision was made following the polio outbreak in Indonesia.