NGO against HIV premarital testing

KUCHING: Sarawak AIDS Concern Society (SACS) strongly objects a proposal by Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for non-Muslim couples to be subjected to compulsory HIV premarital testing.

A statement issued by SACS executive committee said the society shares the same stand with the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) on this issue.

The (MAC) had on Dec 18 panned the proposal announced by Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry at the Dewan Rakyat.

“This (objection) is in line with the stance of World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS that do not support compulsory screening of individuals for HIV. In screening a person for HIV, one’s personal choice must be respected while adhering to ethical and human rights principles.

“Compulsory HIV screenings will not provide long-term solution in addressing the increase of HIV cases in this country. The negative results from a screening test will provide a false sense of security that a person will never get infected by HIV after the marriage. The risk of getting infected will still exist if one continues to be involved in high-risk activities associated with HIV transmission after the screening,” they said.

SACS is a non-profit organization based in Sarawak that conducts advocacy work on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in addition to providing support for people living with HIV.

The society suggested that instead of making HIV testing compulsory, Malaysians should be encouraged to be tested on a voluntary basis.

“SACS will continue to support the voluntary testing and counselling (VCT) programme and to work closely with Ministry of Health or any other agencies as part of our commitment in battling HIV transmission in this country,” they added.

Recently, MAC when objecting Dr Wan Azizah’s proposal stated conducting compulsory HIV screenings is not an “effective, long-term solution” to combat rising HIV cases, adding that HIV testing should only be done on a voluntary basis.

MAC also pointed out that the negative reading of an HIV screening before marriage would not bring about any “guarantee of safety” in terms of HIV risks after the marriage.

MAC also said voluntary HIV screenings should be done at all government clinics nationwide and HIV treatments should be sponsored by the Health Ministry, adding that those who wished to undergo HIV screenings should be given counselling before and after the tests so that they “understand, discuss preventive methods, and if needed, discuss treatment options”.