Abbott wants national guidelines for HIV-risk patients

Amidst the ongoing proceedings of the Michael Neal case in Melbourne and a further arrest in South Australia, Health Minister Tony Abbott will call on states to consider national guidelines for HIV patients accused of knowingly or negligently infecting others.

AAP reported Abbott would ask the National Health Protection Committee to make a recommendation on whether a national approach was required for cases such as Neal’s.

Michael Neal is currently before a Melbourne court on allegations of knowingly infecting 12 people with HIV.

The Committee will meet in July.

Michael Wooldridge, head of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS and former health minister, told reporters the cases in Victoria and SA show the systems in place at the moment are not working.

But Kerry Chant, Director of Health Protection in the NSW Department of Health told the Sydney Star Observer that she was confident we have a good system in place in NSW.