Doctors will advise Minister of dangers of A.I.D.S.

Press, 16 May 1985, Page 4

Doctors will advise Minister of dangers of A.I.D.S.

Special correspondent

The Medical Association will express its concern about the killer disease, A.1.D.5., and at-risk groups to the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett. The association’s council voted yesterday to ensure Dr Bassett was fully acquainted with all the medical affects of A.I.D.S.

This followed up the amendment of a remit by a Hamilton surgeon, Mr Geoffrey Winne-Jones who called on the association to support him in opposing the Homosexual Law Reform Bill on the ground that it could lead to an epidemic of A.I.D.S. His remit asked the association to submit “the medical facts of A.1.D.5.” to the select committee on the bill.

The retiring chairman of the association, Dr Dean Williams, said they could

not vote on the remit because submissions on the bill had already closed. But he said the medical profession was clearly worried about all aspects of A.1.D.5., as it was potentially a killer disease. They were particularly concerned that nurses were an at-risk group because of the danger of needle-prick injuries. The medical facts that they would present to Dr Bassett would include information about the disease and at-risk groups in society which included nurses, doctors, dentists, homosexuals, and other groups. Dr Williams said there was a danger the disease could spread through the whole of society. He said the aim of giving the information to Dr Bassett was to educate everybody.

The association wants immediate Government action

to remedy the deficiencies in public hospital patient care.

It wants action to deal with work overload on resident medical officers, the nursing shortage, and inadequate funding for equipment, said Dr Williams. The council deplored the inevitable reduction in patient care standards resulting from resident medical staff working excessive hours, Doctor Williams said. It supported the efforts of these doctors to have the position corrected. Dr Williams said the shortage of nurses was national and well documented.

The Government had quickly found $9O million extra for defence. It should be prepared to meet a shortfall in health costs when the case was proved, Dr Williams said.