Discrimination against hepatitis B infected medical students could end
Richard Hurley, London
Students infected with hepatitis B, a highly
infectious liver disease, may soon be allowed to train as doctors after a
review by UK government and universities. Under the new plans, medical
students would also be screened for HIV and hepatitis C for the first time.
A positive result would not, however, mean that they could not become
doctor.
The hepatitis B virus is thought to be the leading
cause of liver cancer and is about 100 times more infectious than HIV.
Currently students who test positive for the hepatitis B virus cannot be
admitted to medical school. But the Bloodborne Virus Protocol Development
Group, which is advising the government, is considering changing the rules
to stop discrimination against infected students. The protocol group, which
is led by the Council of Heads of Medical Schools, was set up in response
to a new ruling from the General Medical Council. The ruling says that
students can be trained as doctors without doing "exposure prone
procedures."
The news has alarmed patient groups. Michael Summers,
chairman of the Patients Association, said, "If it becomes public
knowledge that students who will later qualify as doctors have an
infectious disease people will be very disturbed, quite
naturally."
Exactly which procedures this covers is still up for
debate. An infected doctor would likely not be allowed to deliver babies,
do surgery, or be involved in trauma cases, but they would be able to do
safer procedures, such as taking blood. Hepatitis B was the disease that
caused most concern within the group because it was a "thoroughly
nasty virus" and much easier to contract than either HIV or hepatitis
C.
"This is never going to be an easy issue to
resolve. If you went to your doctor and he cut himself while taking blood
you would want to know he didn't have hepatitis B or HIV. But if you
were bleeding to death you wouldn't care," said a spokesperson
for the group.
Julius Weinberg, an expert in infectious disease and
pro vice chancellor for research at City University, said, "I think
it reasonable to expect potential doctors to be aware of any infectious
disease they might have." He added that an infected doctor could take
"appropriate steps" to ensure they were not putting patients at
risk.
The medical students committee of the British Medical
Association welcomed letting students with hepatitis B study medicine but
criticised plans to test students for HIV at the start of their courses.
Jonathan Beavers, deputy chairman of the committee, said that the policy
was "ridiculous and ill thought out."
studentBMJ 2005;13:177-220 May ISSN 0966-6494
