Not the way to conduct testing

YESTERDAY’S front page report on primary school pupils being given HIV/Aids tests sparked parental outrage across the city.

This anger is completely understandable, particularly as it seems the status of more than one child was not kept confidential – as it should by law have been.

This highlights the disconnect between what is constitutional and what the average parent may be comfortable with.

After all, it may be legal to administer an HIV/Aids test to a minor child aged 12 or older and to inform him or her about his or her HIV status without a parent or guardian present, but was it done in an ethical way?

That is only one of many questions.

A second – far bigger – issue is the manner in which this seems to have been handled by the NGO, Kheth’Impilo, and the department of education has rightly called it to account for possible breaches in policy and procedure.

Mistakes may include, for example, that not all parents were properly informed of the HIV/Aids testing process.

Some families were reportedly completely ignorant about the tests taking place.

Over and above the legalities, a school has a duty of care to pupils and it is highly irresponsible to have allowed the NGO to proceed in the manner it did.

Another relevant question is why girls were tested and not boys as well.

Yes, the NGO runs a Young Women and Girls Programme, but girls are only one half of the HIV/Aids equation.

And, although at first only one school was identified, a second then emerged. Are there perhaps more? Perhaps the most disturbing issue to emerge was the fact that at least one child was told of her HIV status in front of her classmates, which is an absolute no-no for HIV/Aids testing.

It must be crushing for an adult to hear of an HIV-positive status and how much more so for a child of 12.

In addition, over and above confidentiality, testing should always go with counselling and this does not seem to have been offered to all pupils.

This particular incident has made national news headlines because it is far more than a breach of policy and procedure, it is a violation of human rights.

We are simply appalled.