104 AIDS patients go un-notified in the private sector

SANTIAGO.- Following the uncovering of the public health system's failure to notify HIV-positive individuals, the private sector has now been exposed as being capable of the very same negligence. According to the national report on the status of HIV cases confirmed between 2004 and 2008, there are 104 people (2.7%) who were not informed of their illness, and another 415 who have no clear indication on their records of being informed or not.

Minister of Health Álvaro Erazo commented that "we need to conduct a study to determine whether sanctions can be applied or not", reiterating that there is a law obligating that patients be informed of this disease.

According to the report, of the 104 who have not been notified, there are 44 who were contacted by the attending institutions, but who never came in to take their follow-up tests. The rest of the HIV-positive individuals have not been found because they gave false contact information.

With regards to this last group, the minister has called on those who take the test to return for their results and to actively seek diagnosis and treatment.