Hiv test for gays joining doctors

[zeon]

Hi all,
My ex read in the paper yesterday that doctor surgeries in the UK will be possibily compulsory for gay men to undergo HIV tests when joining upto a doctors... Whats your view on this??? I find it a breach of my human rights... If I want a HIV test I will go for one if a doctor wants to refuse me a service because i dont want the test done then surely under the hyppercratic Oath they are breaking practises and teachings...

Whats your views???

Kindest regards

zeon

[simon]

Doctors already have the right not to accept anyone they choose to their surgeries,and they don't need to give a reason.
I can't see how this would come under a human rights violation? maybe more a civil rights issue.

I've not heard about this so would have to see the full details,I would think it very unlikely to be a case of you either get tested or you don't get any treatment,it's a hard one,as I would want people to know if they had HIV and testing will do that but I also am left with the thought as to why HIV is the only test that might be made compulsory as I would think there are other conditions that could be tested for that affect as many people.

[East]

I think it is a stupid idea to tell any doctor you are gay unless you want to subject yourself to "experiments". I realize that sounds paranoid and maybe I am but I have every reason to beleive otherwise.

[simon]

I think it is a stupid idea to tell any doctor you are gay unless you want to subject yourself to "experiments". I realize that sounds paranoid and maybe I am but I have every reason to beleive otherwise.

that reminds me,when I registed at my local doctors,one of the questions was are you gay :eek:
which was a bit of a strange question I thought.

[fenris]

hm ... my both doctors know that I ´m gay ... one ignores it ( because it is not his thing ) the other knows it since I´m in his surgery .... if I need a doctor he ask me " hope your man is fine? "... or talk about gay things like "have you heard ... mr. blahblah has married his bf last week "... or if we both - me and my man - are both in his surgery he welcomes us with " hi boys ".... He never uses rubber gloves.. not as I had my first hiv-test years before..and not now if he had to control my blood because of all the painkillers.
And for my opinion that is what a doctor has to be.... and if he would act like a homophobic person... I would leave immediately and report him.
A doctor is a doctor ... and the sexual orientation of his patients is not his thing...

[fredv3b]

Zeon,

If what you are saying were true I would share your indignation. However your ex seems to have misunderstood. There has been no suggestion of compulsory HIV testing, all that has been suggested is that it is offered/encouraged to men registering with a new GP. Also as I understand it, this would be for all men in certain areas, either because they don't trust doctors/nurses to ask all new men if they are gay or they don't trust the answers. However this would only be routine in areas of high levels of HIV and/or lots of gay men.

I think there is a lot to be said for this idea, as far as experts can tell there is a significant population of men who have fairly anonymous sex with men (ignoring whether they consider themselves gay, bi, etc.), who are infected with HIV, who don't (always) have safe sex and who, rarely if ever, turn up at HIV testing clinics. These men appear to be acting as a 'reservoir' of virus for gay men. Various attempts have been tried to get these men to turn up to testing clinics, with at best modest success. They are also difficult to identify through sexual contact tracing of men newly diagnosed with HIV, because they are having anonymous sex.

[zeon]

that reminds me,when I registed at my local doctors,one of the questions was are you gay :eek:
which was a bit of a strange question I thought.

When you fill out a questionaire if it states sexual orientation you can do what i do some times and put a line through the whole section and write "illegal question irrespective of what i am it doesnt matter to any one else.." I had a garden survey come through my door yesterday and I got asked in it if i was gay lesbian hetrosexual or bi sexual.. I lined it out and wrote on it "depends on the day"

Kindest regards

zeon

[fredv3b]

I am afraid I have to disagree, it does matter to your doctor, it does (at least potentially) affect your health.

[Beaux]

I have mixed feelings on telling a physician I am gay. I do see that there are health care prespectives where that knowledge could be valid. However, there remains a great deal of bias and bigotry in society and it is a matter of great trust to share that information in many cases.
Back in the early 90s my mom had emergency surgery. She had lost a lot of blood and they wanted to type the family members. My sister is adopted and her blood type didnt match but I am a universal donor. If I had admited that I slept with men, I wouldnt have been aloud to donate.
Personally, I think EVERYONE should be tested for HIV, but questions of sexuality should never even enter the converstaion.

[fredv3b]

If you don't trust your doctor, I'd suggest you look for a new one.