Michael Ferris
Ceist:46 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Health and Children the provision, if any, being made for doctors infected with HIV and hepatitis; and if his Department has met the IMO on the matter. [22848/99]
Written Answers. - HIV Infection.
The report of the working group in the prevention of transmission of blood borne diseases in the health care setting was published in February of this year. It has been circulated to all health service agencies for their information and for the implementation of its recommendations. The report includes a comprehensive set of recommendations and guidelines on the prevention of the transmission of blood borne diseases. It also includes specific guidance to be followed by health institutions in the event of a health care worker becoming infected.
The working group endorsed the general principle that an infected health care worker should be given maximum support and encouragement to disclose the fact that they had been infected or believed that they might be infected. The Medical Council's ethical guidelines for medical practitioners (1998) place a clear ethical duty on doctors to protect patients from harm. It would also be clearly unethical for a doctor who believed that he or she might be infected with a serious contagious disease not to seek and accept advice from professional colleagues on the limitations which they would need to place on their practice in order to protect their patients. In the rare cases where a doctor is unable to continue to practice in their particular branch of medicine, the working group recommended that retraining or redeployment within the health service should be made available.
These recommendations raise complex and difficult issues. The rights of patients to safe treatment and the right of health care professionals to privacy need to be carefully balanced. These issues are being considered by my Department. A request for a meeting with the Irish Medical Organisation was received at the end of September. I hope the IMO and other interested groups will be met in the near future.