November 14, 2008

Nearly 2,000 Chileans Never Informed of Positive Status

Chile’s health minister Álvaro Erazo announced November 13 that the country’s public health system failed to inform at least 512 people that they had tested HIV positive, while the private sector did not inform an additional 1,364 that they were positive, The New York Times reports. Erazo told lawmakers that in about half of cases, there was no evidence that anyone made any effort to reach the patients.

“There is no justification for that,” Erazo told members of Chile’s Congress.

According to the article, this revelation comes just weeks after Erazo’s predecessor, María Soledad Barría, was forced to resign after a hospital in the northern city of Iquique failed to notify dozens of patients that they were HIV positive. Two people in the hospital later died of AIDS-related complications.

The Central Metropolitan Health Service in Santiago, Chile’s capital, announced that it will investigate why 107 patients weren’t notified and said it expects to have results in two weeks.

Search: Chile, Álvaro Erazo, María Soledad Barría, Central Metropolitan Health Service

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IamStone, Mulberry Ar., 2008-11-19 06:28:45
I wonder from reading this brief version of the article if those who were not informed were those who probably could not afford proper care...seems if you dont inform low income or poverty stricken people...they become less of a burden on the health system there and maybe the government/hospitals believed they were actually going to save money by not informing...I do wonder how many are actually dirt poor with no health coverage...