Doctor hid his HIV from 400 patients

A DOCTOR put hundreds of patients at risk by hiding the fact he had HIV.

Tamas Nyary sent off his own blood for testing under the name of a patient to avoid detection. He also changed the date of a form to show he did not have the virus in order to get a job.

Hospital bosses contacted 397 of his patients and offered them a blood test when it was discovered that the 45-yearold had HIV.

All the samples proved negative but the testing caused great distress, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

Nyary, who is married and from Hungary, had worked at hospitals across the UK since 2004, including in Nottingham, Chesterfield and Cornwall.

He said he did not reveal his diagnosis in 2015 because of the stigma attached to being gay in his home country.

He was given a 12-month suspended sentence after admitting fraud and forgery.

Healthcare staff must declare they have HIV so that safety precautions can be put in place. Nyary has been suspended from practising pending the outcome of a General Medical Council tribunal.

Judge Stuart Rafferty QC told Nyary his actions were fuelled by self-interest and had placed others in a state of fear. He added: ‘This was a course of dishonesty that went on for some years [which began] before you were certain you were HIV positive, and continued afterward.’