Posts
One day after his appointment as
Greece’s Health Minister on June 25, Adonis Georgiadis reinstated a
controversial regulation that requires mandatory HIV testing for high-risk
groups such as sex workers, undocumented immigrants, and drug users. Health
Regulation Number GY/39A, “Amendments That Concern the Restriction of the
Transmission of Infectious Diseases,” which aims to address public health
treatments and emergencies, specifies mandatory health examinations, isolation,
and compulsory treatment for diseases such as influenza, TB, malaria, polio,
hepatitis, HIV, and other STDs. Georgiadis stated the regulation was necessary
to shield the public from emerging or re-emerging health threats, especially
with Greece’s “annual massive tourist influx.”
International human rights
organizations countered that Georgiadis’s decision violated recommendations of
the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the European Center for Disease Control,
and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. A Doctors of the World spokesperson
stated that the regulation would endanger public health if infected individuals
were evicted without alternative housing. Judith Sunderland, senior Western
Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch, urged the Greek government to focus
instead on access to healthcare and public education.
The regulation explicitly states the
government will adhere to international human rights conventions and protocols.
However, it does not specify how testing will be carried out, and it allows
police to assist in enforcing isolation, restrictions, quarantine, treatment,
and hospitalization.
The government first introduced the
regulation in April 2012 and repealed it in April 2013. The initial implementation
resulted in a “roundup” and HIV testing of dozens of alleged sex workers. The
police arrested those who were HIV-infected, charged them with “causing
intentional grievous bodily harm,” and released photographs and information
from their medical records to media outlets. The women were incarcerated
pending trial for months and released after being acquitted. Opponents of the
regulation fear that similar violations of the “right to liberty” will occur
after reinstatement of the law.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
