DOH Clarifies HIV Testing Will Be at High Risk Group

●DOH says high-risk groups prone to HIV are female sex workers, males having sex with males,OFWs,Injecting Drug Users

The Department of Health (DOH) clarified on Thursday that the plan for “mandatory” HIV testing will only be aimed at certain groups that can be considered as “high risk” to HIV.

Newly appointed spokesperson for DOH Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy said there are no definite plans yet as to how the mandatory testing is going to be pushed.

“Pwede din natin i-request din sa mga gumagawa ng batas kung pwede tayo i-assist to come up with a better way of really testing yung mga high-risk group natin,” he said.

Among the high-risk groups identified by the DOH as prone to Aids and HIV are female sex workers (FSWs), males having sex with males (MSMs), injecting drug users (IDUs), and overseas foreign workers (OFWs).

The health agency clarified its stand after several interest groups recently criticized the DOH for its plans to implement “mandatory HIV testing”, citing provisions in the 1998 Aids law that does not allow “compulsory” testing.

“These are all on the exploratory phase yet. Wala pa talagang kasiguraduhan na mai-implement siya pero better, of course, na
ma-implement para mas maganda ang approach natin sa patients natin,” said Lee Suy.

The DOH is eyeing for amendments to the Philippine Aids Prevention and Control Act of 1998 in order to allow the implementation of mandatory human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in the country, Lee Suy said in a press briefing.

“The DOH unit on HIV/Aids and PNAC (Philippine National Aids Council) have made some talks with lawmakers about the text of the law,” he said.

Lee Suy said they are already having talks with lawmakers regarding the matter since mandatory testing is prohibited under Republic Act 8504. He added that the proposal is buoyed by the government’s desire to identify all HIV positive individuals and provide them adequate health services.

In the Philippines today, the number of new HIV infections continues to increase month per month and estimates now run to 14 new HIV cases every day. Despite these, the HIV prevalence (new and old infections combined) remains less than 1%.

Lee Suy said the DOH welcomes criticisms as a means to understand those who have divergent views and to reconcile such different views in a proper venue that allows productive resolution of issues.

He invited concerned groups to make their positions known once the proposed amendments are up for public discussion.

“Bago naman maisabatas ito, di ba ie-engage nila ang public. They will bring up the issue. So yung mga concerned groups should be there para maibigay nila yung opinion nila. Para at the end of the day, they will be able to come up with a better approach naman kung sa tingin nila hindi talaga feasible ito,” said Lee Suy.

He added that even as DOH mulls such “mandatory” testing, giant steps are necessary to “increase public awareness of HIV, concretize a comprehensive plan that is sufficiently financed and end stigmatization and discrimination against HIV victims.”