Shocking HIV case from Taiwan

Comment on "Taiwan probes HIV organ transplants" (China Daily website, Aug 31)

The news of doctors in a Taiwan hospital unknowingly transplanting organs from an HIV-positive donor to five patients is shocking.

Even an ordinary person, without any medical knowledge, knows that tests on donors and receivers both should be conducted to rule out communicable diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, before a transplant surgery. As the spokesman said in the report, there is clear medical regulation that requires medical institutions to conduct HIV/AIDS tests before any organ or tissue transplant.

Although the spokesman said the case could be an indictable offense, it will not help the innocent victims who received organs from an HIV-positive donor. Even if the people responsible for the offense are punished, it can't change the pathetic fact that the patients are already infected.

Tests for communicable diseases should be mandatory because it would safeguard people against hidden dangers. And I hope medical staff would be more compassionate and caring about their patients, and prevent such tragedies from recurring.

Ningning, via e-mail

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(China Daily 09/02/2011 page9)