New nurses and doctors in England may be subject to HIV tests amid fears that more than 700 infected nursing staff from Africa were recruited to the country last year, a British daily said on Monday.
Although health care workers are not required to undergo tests, whether they are recruited in Britain or abroad, there are fears that HIV-positive nurses may have been recruited from African countries, where the disease has reached epidemic proportions.
The health ministry said no decision had been taken on whether to offer or require HIV testing for all new staff, but a source told The Times the issue was ”very near” to becoming policy.
Although there are no official figures, the newspaper said experts estimated 737 HIV-positive nurses were recruited to Britain last year, 727 from Africa.
It is thought an expert group was set up by ministers last August to review the policy options for offering or requiring HIV testing.
”Ministers have yet to make a decision on this. The
recommendations are still being considered,” a health ministry representative told the paper. – Sapa-AFP