THE following is the full text of the statement issued last night by the North Western and Mid Western Health Boards in relation to the HIV positive doctor:
The North Western and MidWestern Health Boards today (Thursday, December 5th) announced details of a counselling and screening programme for patients who were treated at Letterkenny General Hospital and Limerick Regional Hospital by a doctor who was found to be HIV positive.
A total of 105 patients have been written to and invited to contact the hospitals, 80 of whom were treated in Letterkenny and 25 in Limerick. Medical experts have stressed that the risk of any patient being positive for HIV is extremely low.
The directors of public health at the two health boards, Dr Sean Denyer (NWHB) and Dr Kevin Kelleher (MWHB) said: "We can state quite categorically that in the vast majority of cases there is absolutely no danger of patients having been infected. Both health boards have already identified the relevant patients and have written to them today. They are being offered advice, counselling and testing."
The GPs of the patients have also been contacted in both regions. According to Drs Denyer and Kelleher, exposure was so minor that they are not expecting any of the former patients to test positive.
Both health boards have set up freephone information lines to provide confidential advice and information to anyone who is worried. The freephone numbers are Limerick 1 800 767574 and Letterkenny 1 800 202300.
The doctor worked at Limerick Regional Hospital from March 25th to June 13th of this year and at Letterkenny General Hospital from July 1st to November 4th.
On November 4th at Letterkenny, once the suspicion was raised that the doctor may have had a condition which may or may not have been associated with HIV infection, the doctor went on sick leave and there were no further risks to patients from that date.
The diagnosis of the original condition was confirmed on November 18th. This still left doubt as to the HIV status of the person.
The North Western Health Board had to establish with certainty whether this person was HIV negative or positive. The doctor's co operation in the testing required was necessary as there is no mechanism available to force any person to undergo testing. Consent was finally obtained and arrangements put in place for testing. However, the doctor failed to attend as arranged on Monday, December 24.
The health boards understand that the doctor has left the country and in the absence of consent, alternative arrangements had to be employed to carry out a HIV test to establish whether it was negative or positive.
Following legal advice, the MidWestern Health Board undertook testing on a blood sample which had been voluntarily given by the doctor previously in conjunction with the hepatitis B test. This test proved to be HIV positive.
Doctors Denyer and Kelleher said that as the law stood at present they were prohibited from divulging any details which might disclose the identity of the doctor concerned.
One of the country's top specialists in AIDS/HIV, Dr Gerard Sheehan, consultant in infectious diseases at Beaumont and the Mater hospitals, is available to the media if additional general information is required. Phone 01 30 1122.