Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 4

Written Answers. - HIV Infection.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

27 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Health and Children the ethical and other guidelines which apply to health workers who are HIV positive; his views on the adequacy of these; whether a further review of these is under way or planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10258/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The general ethical guidelines which apply to health care workers are drawn up by the appropriate regulatory bodies for each clinical discipline. In general they place an ethical and professional obligation on each health care worker not to engage in any behaviour which would put patients at risk. In the case of clinical staff who are, or who have reason to believe that they may be HIV positive, there is an ethical obligation on them to seek appropriate professional advice and adhere to any advice given by their doctor as to the nature and extent of any clinical work they may undertake, i.e. not to undertake exposure prone procedures which might pose a risk of infecting a patient.

As the Deputy will appreciate this is a complex issue requiring a careful balance to be struck between the interests of patients and of the staff who treat them. In 1997 the then Minister for Health established an Advisory Group on the Prevention of Transmission of Blood Borne Diseases in the Health Care Setting to examine the scientific and medical evidence applicable to this problem. A draft report completed by the group has be circulated for observations to interested parties. When these submissions have been collated and studied I expect the final report of the group to be published. I feel it would be more useful to avoid making any further comment in advance of publication of the report.