Medical professionals refuse surgery for people living with HIV, research finds

Aoífe Commins, a Galway nurse living with HIV, welcomed the new project, RISE (Redefining Institutional Stigma Education), that offers training for healthcare workers on HIV stigma and its impact for patients. Photo: Hany Marzouk

People living with HIV have been refused surgery, put last on waiting lists and are still stigmatised by many in the medical profession as drug users, new Irish research has found.

Some 76% of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers including medical students have seen discrimination from their colleagues towards these patients, the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences has found.