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1. Appointments
Recent Appointments of Dr Cheong Pak Yean, President, SMA to Committees of Public Institutions
 

  • Member, Inter-Ministerial Committee on Healthcare for the Elderly 

    • Appointed by :  Minister for Health 
    Date : 3 June 1997 
    Purview : To review the projections of health care needs of the elderly, and to identify  the necessary measures to ensure adequate provision of healthcare facilities and services to meet the needs of the elderly over the next 5 to 10 years
    .
  • Medical Consultant, Family Court Clinic 

    • Appointed by :  Registrar, Subordinate Courts 
    Date : 3 June 1997 
     
  • Member, Proposal Panel (Professional) for Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) 

    • Appointed by :  Speaker, Parliament/Chairman, Special Select Committee (NMP) 
    Date :  8 July 1997 
    Purview :  To propose to Panel the names of candidates from the Association for nomination as Nominated Members of Parliament
     
  • Deputy Chairman, Home Care Technical Committee, Institute of Technical Education (ITE) 

    • Appointed by :  Divisional Director/Curriculum Development, ITE 
    Date :  9 July 1997 
    Purview :  To advise ITE on issues pertaining to the training and certification of home care assistants to provide informal cares for the elderly 
2. Consent for and confidentiality of HIV testing
The SMA received a query and a complaint from a member of the public regarding consent for and confidentiality of HIV testing. Clarification from the Ministry of Health was sought and the reply is published in full for members to take note.
 
Dear Dr Cheong

CONSENT FOR AND CONFIDENTIALITY OF HIV TESTING

Please refer to your letter of 30 May 1997 seeking Ministry’s clarification on the above.
In view of the strong social stigma associated with HIV infection, HIV testing has a major impact on the life of the person tested. The AIDS Task Force has reviewed this matter and has recommended that the person who is tested should be fully aware of the nature of the test and be properly counselled before and after the HIV test is carried out.

The Ministry therefore advocates that consent should be taken from the patient before carrying out a HIV test. This could be in the form of a signed consent from the patient or the patient’s verbal consent could be recorded in the case-notes. Doctors should counsel their patients before and after a HIV test is carried out.

With the exception of the legal requirement under the Infectious Diseases Act for medical practitioners to notify all cases of HIV infection and AIDS to the Ministry of Health, the confidentiality of the identity of the HIV infected person should be maintained. Disclosure of information pertaining to a HIV infected/AIDS patient constitutes a breach of medical confidentiality. Section 20D of the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Act makes it an offence to disclose any information which may identify the HIV infected/AIDS patient except under the following circumstances:
a)  with the consent of the patient; 
b)  when it is necessary to do so in connection with the administration or execution of anything under the Act;
c)  when ordered to do so by a court; 
d)  to any medical practitioner or other health staff who is treating or caring for the infected person;
e)  to blood, organ, semen or breast milk banks that have received or will receive any blood, organ, semen or breast milk from an infected person; 
f)  for statistical reports and epidemiological purposes if the information is used in such a way that the identity of the infected person is not made known; and 
g)  to the victim of a sexual assault by the infected person.
 
Yours sincerely 
A/Prof Chee Yam Cheng 
Ag Director of Medical Services
Ministry of Health
4 June 1997

 3.  The SMA Council congratulates Prof Kua Ee Heok, Editor of SMJ for his appointment as Professor, NUS. We also welcome back Dr Wong Tien Yin, council member from his one-year stint at Johns Hopkins University.

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