Do not disclose status of HIV/AIDS patients: HC to govt

The woman had then filed a plea through advocate Ambalika Roy seeking compensation and framing of guidelines for protection of the identity and privacy of patients.

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During the hearing on Thursday, Justice Shakdher said disclosure of medical status or condition of a patient, especially those suffering from AIDS, meant that these persons were “treated as lepers”. He said it scared people away as there was a stigma attached to the ailment.

The court had previously directed the Central government to frame guidelines regarding non-disclosure of the medical status of patients.

The government has now informed the court that the process of framing the guidelines is “underway”.

As of now, the court directed the governments to issue a circular to all hospitals and also seek compliance reports from them to ensure that the directive is adhered to.