Should medical doctors who are HIV+ be allowed to practice medicine?

i heard some dentist in florida gave his patient aids. this true? any links with info would be greatly appreciated.

In the event of doctors who do not do ANY procedural work that involve live patients there should be no problem whatsoever.

eg.

I can't see a problem with a HIV+ve doctor looking at my x-ray or examining my appendix under a microscope - or even having a HIV +ve GP feel my belly and send me to surgery.

The problem lies where there is a possibility of HIV blood getting from the doctor to the patient. This all comes down to how paranoid we are all going to get.

The major risk lies in surgery where surgeons operate with sharp pointy things and can cut their fingers. Minor risks exist with other scenarios eg. taking blood or inserting IV cannulae.

I am not sure what the rules state where you are from, but in Australia the few doctors who are diagnosed with HIV usually voluntarily give up proceduralist work and have their patients bloods drawn by blood techs (most doctors do this anyway).

Shouldn't the question be more along the lines of: Should HIV +ve health personnel who are involved in duties that might endanger a patient be allowed to practice?

Aww - jpgregory - you afraid that a radiologist might give you HIV by looking at your x-ray?

Was that dentist bleeding into his patients open wound? or were they having unprotected sex? I think you are dealing with some misinformation.

Well, I have heard of this also! No I don't think they should be able to practice anymore.

I think they should be able to, but they should have to disclose it to their patients. My father's doctor died from Aids and we didn't find out until his death, about 2 months after my dad last saw him.

No they should not. The reason is simply...using medical equipment anytime can be hazardous to the DR as well as the patient.

Not to cause a stir but the US Gov. teaches all their employees that AIDS can be spread through saliva (this is a fact). Is that only to protect them? or is it best to keep the general public in the dark about the reality of the disease so not to cause hatred towards those who suffer from it? Either way a Doctors utensils can cause bleeding if they slip and a Dentist encounters bleeding from gums frequently, especially with extractions. If this event really happened I think the Gov. will do their best to keep it quiet to keep order.

Cher, I would love to see a US government web reference that says that HIV Aids can be spread by saliva; where I work, in NY, the state says it cannot. See the link below:


http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/a...

That dentist had more problems than just HIV. He was drawing his own blood and purposefully injecting it in his patients. The risks of accidental transmission are miniscule.