Rules for States on Doctors With AIDS Approved
The House and Senate approved a compromise Thursday that requires states to adopt federal guidelines for deterring the spread of the AIDS virus by doctors and other health professionals.
The compromise rejects a plan the Senate passed earlier that would have set prison sentences for any AIDS-infected doctor, dentist or nurse who performs surgery or other “invasive procedures” without disclosing the ailment.
The measure is part of a Treasury Department appropriations bill that also was approved and sent to President Bush.
Under the compromise, each state’s public health department will have one year to certify that Centers for Disease Control guidelines have been adopted.
The guidelines provide that health workers who perform invasive procedures should be tested for AIDS and hepatitis B, avoid risky procedures except when life or limb is in danger and inform patients if they are infected.
A state that does not adopt the guidelines could lose all of its federal Public Health Service funds.
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