OB/GYN at a local hospital is HIV-positive

The Daily News is doing what they do best—going full tabloid mode: link.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few HIV-positive doctors working right here in America. It really brings up a bunch of tough questions:

1) Should these doctors even be allowed to see patients at all?
2) Is an HIV-positive doctor obligated to tell their patients about their status?
3) Do they need to disclose this to their bosses, or is that strictly private info?
4) Personally, would you feel comfortable being treated by someone who is HIV-positive? Would you let them take a scalpel to your organs... (please, take the joke 😁 as a joke
)? 5) Do you think we should treat surgeons or orthopedic specialists differently than other doctors when it comes to this?

I'm curious to hear what you guys think—I don't really have the energy to write out my own thoughts right now... Jane Doe

Oh man, Rachel Brooks63, you really know how to throw the tough questions my way!
1 - yes
2 - yes
3 - yes
4 - yes regarding the surgery—but no, there’s still a chance of infection; it’s slim, but it’s there
5 - gotcha

You actually reminded me of this one case from years ago. A nurse in an ICU at a major hospital in Chicago had syphilis in an active stage, and the whole staff scrambled to get tested immediately—everyone from the doctors down to the kitchen staff and the cleaning crew.
Did they notify the patients? Nope, they didn't.

You’ve really got me thinking now...

1) Should those doctors even be allowed to treat patients?
Yeah, totally.

2) Should doctors who are HIV-positive share that info with their patients?
Hmm... it's such a double-edged sword... given how judgmental society can be, they'd just get stigmatized and cast out. I mean, I guess I'm for being honest—people should probably say something—but man, I'm scared of the fallout...

3) Should they tell their bosses, or is that strictly their own business?
Yeah, they're working with people, so they really ought to let their supervisors know.

4) Would you personally get treated by an HIV-positive doctor? Like, would you trust them to "rearrange" your organs with a scalpel? (please, excuse the joke lol)
It's a yes and a no kind of thing. Even though I know whatever people write here will just be more labeling and pushing them away, maybe it would be safest if HIV-positive doctors worked with HIV-positive patients. That way, the chance of transmission would be kept to an absolute minimum (you know, healthy people wouldn't have to worry about catching anything, and HIV-positive doctors could avoid any risk of accidentally infecting a healthy patient).

5) Do you think there should be different rules for surgeons versus, I don't know, orthopedists?
Hmm... that just brings me right back to my first question... honestly, I’d love to know if the person examining me is HIV-positive, and depending on what the exam is and the whole situation, I'd want to be able to decide for myself whether I want to go through with it or not.

I guess I’m just going to sound paranoid here... but how much does AIDS actually exist in the US?
I mean, we had Jane Doe, and then there was that bar owner from San Diego—the one nobody could confirm was positive until he passed away from AIDS... and the guy had two girlfriends at the time too...

Kyle Nelson2 said:I don't want to sound totally paranoid here... but how many people actually have AIDS?

Look, it’s easy to talk big when you're discussing people who already have AIDS, but we’re talking about being HIV-positive

If I were HIV-positive—or had any bloodborne illness for that matter—there is absolutely no way I’d be working as a surgeon or an OB-GYN without being upfront with my patients. Honestly? If I did, I’d probably lose my entire patient base overnight... 😁

They claim all this testing is confidential and the data is strictly protected. So how does word get out? I’ve gone through testing for everything over and over again because it was required for my job on a ship, but if I had actually tested positive, would that really stay private? Or is it just one of those things that’s an open secret in this country?

It’s a heavy situation. I suspect someone living with HIV might only have a few years before complications set in, and as far as I know—correct me if I’m wrong—there isn't a cure. There is treatment to slow things down and manage symptoms, but that stuff is incredibly expensive, and we're still talking about management rather than a fix. Honestly, if a doctor says to a patient, "I'm HIV-positive; is it okay if I treat you?" they’ll likely lose most of their practice overnight. From a purely financial standpoint, there’s zero incentive for a physician to disclose their status.

Then again, HIV is infectious. While the actual odds of transmission to a patient are slim, a doctor still faces risks through contact with open wounds or instruments that might touch a patient's blood. Realistically, the chances are low because you'd need direct contact between the doctor's blood or saliva and an injured area—like a surgeon accidentally nicking themselves during a procedure. Still, an HIV-positive doctor represents a small, yet tangible, risk to a patient's health and life.

So, what takes precedence? The health and lives of the patients, or the doctor's right to keep working?

Personally, I think the wisest and most humane way to handle this is to sidestep the question entirely. If a doctor is HIV-positive, they should be considered medically unfit for duty. They should take medical leave, focus on their own well-being, and just live out their lives. Meanwhile, patients can be treated by people who don't carry a life-threatening virus.

Sure, that costs more than keeping a doctor on the clock, but it's safer for the patients and more compassionate for the doctor. At the end of the day, they simply aren't fit for the job anymore. It’s much like a pilot dealing with even mild epilepsy; you wouldn't want them in the cockpit risking passengers' lives, and the same logic applies to medicine.

How exactly does being HIV-positive make a doctor incapable of doing their job?

1) Should these doctors even be allowed to see patients?

Yes.

2) Are HIV-positive doctors required to disclose this to their patients?

No.

3) Should they tell their bosses?

Yes.

4) Would you personally get treated by an HIV-positive doctor?

Yes.

Would you let them "rearrange" your organs with a scalpel? (Get real, please.)

*

5) Do you think there should be different rules for surgeons or orthopedic specialists?

*

*What’s the actual infection risk during a surgeon-patient interaction?
It doesn't look like surgeons are getting infected en masse while operating on HIV-positive people.

I wasn't suggesting the risk of infection is high; I’m simply stating that it isn't zero.

He shouldn't be on the clock because he's dealing with a life-threatening illness, and if he keeps pushing through his current duties, he’s essentially putting his patients' lives at risk.

He can't work because he’s sick with a deadly disease, and if he keeps doing his job, he’s putting his patients' lives at risk.

He isn't sick. He's infected.
Do you even know the difference between being HIV-positive and having AIDS? 🙄
And "doctors"? Please. We're talking about GPs, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, oncologists, dermatologists, ENT specialists, orthopedists, pulmonologists, and... 🙄

I completely agree with Kimberly Davis52. Don't worry, Justin Fox, nobody's passing anything on to you... the illness just won't stick...😬

My first instinct was to just say no.
But honestly, if that’s how people actually thought about surgical procedures, surgeons would be dropping like flies from AIDS.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but apparently, it’s been established that even when you aren't technically "sick"—just, you know, HIV-positive—the virus doesn't just sit there. It keeps growing. Like, the viral load just constantly climbs. So, I guess the only real difference between being HIV-positive and actually being ill is just the sheer amount of the virus in your system.

So, are we ever going to find out which doctors we're talking about? I can see people starting to freak out over this, and honestly, if women start skipping their checkups because of the panic, that’s just as bad...

Rachel Brooks63 said:Personally, I believe there’s more than one doctor in America who is HIV-positive.

A-ha, so who was the psychic here, huh? 🙂 Six doctors are HIV-positive

So, uh, what do I actually think about my own questions?

Since we're talking about six people—though that number will definitely climb as infection rates go up in the general population—I really don't think we should blindly insist they be treated exactly the same as their colleagues... It could honestly, like Kate Fowler79 said, end up being counterproductive for both patients and the rest of the staff.

I feel like we can—and really should—find some kind of middle ground where these doctors can still practice medicine, but without the direct exposure to open blood from patients. Maybe it’s through reassignment? For some doctors, there isn't much risk (like orthopedics and stuff), while for others, it might actually make sense to move them over to Infectious Disease, working on wards with HIV-positive and AIDS patients. Honestly, I don't think even Justin Fox's suggestion about early retirement should just be tossed aside...

Of course, all of this would have to happen through actual consensus. You can't just force a decision like this through... you need to talk, get everyone in the same room, and find a way forward.

Personally? I wouldn't want an HIV-positive doctor performing surgery on me, and if I knew their status, I'd probably try to prevent it. On the other hand... I wouldn't mind at all having someone with the same diagnosis treating my busted knee.

It’s pretty obvious how hypocritical our society is.
Whether someone has AIDS or not is their business. It’s just like any other medical condition—nobody has the right to know unless that person chooses to share it, even with family. Who are you to judge someone's employment or lifestyle based on this?

What if a doctor contracted HIV during surgery?

I personally know a doctor who caught Hepatitis during an operation!!!

Everything carries risk. It's the same risk as having unprotected sex and catching something, sharing a drink at a cafe, getting mono from kissing, or being hit by a drunk driver while walking down the street.

WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ANYONE?

If you have a disease, does a doctor have the right to refuse treatment? No. They shouldn't. Everyone deserves help; you just need to take precautions.

Do you honestly think anyone in the US knows which doctor or individual has AIDS? They don't. That information is confidential. The only thing that matters is that the person is aware of their status and takes steps to ensure they don't harm others.
That's it.

RESOLUTION ON PHYSICIAN PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH AIDS—40TH CONGRESS,

Since AIDS is a communicable disease, doctors should approach these patients with the same level of care they would give anyone else with an infectious condition. A physician cannot refuse to treat a patient based on an AIDS diagnosis.

If a doctor has their own infectious disease, they shouldn't treat patients if there's any risk of transmission. If there isn't a risk, the doctor isn't obligated to disclose their status to the patient.

!!!!!

Why are you acting out and trying to turn this chill thread into a massive blowout? Like, why can't you just share your thoughts normally—like everyone else here—without all the accusations, fighting, and yelling?

Kyle Nelson2 said:the difference between being HIV-positive and actually sick is 'just' the viral load

Not exactly. I guess you're considered HIV-positive until any symptoms show up, but it becomes AIDS once you actually get sick—like with infections or pneumonia. Things that wouldn't bother a healthy person at all, but could be fatal for someone who's infected.

on topic: Yeah, those kinds of doctors should be allowed to practice. I don't think they're required to disclose their HIV status since they use standard precautions anyway. And like Hannah Scott69 mentioned, a doctor can't just turn away an infected patient, so why would we stop an infected doctor from working?

Are you going to ban me from moderation if I test positive for AIDS? Or just kick me off the forum entirely?
I could infect other people through the internet!
😬