That an HIV-positive patient had to conceal his condition by changing his medical records in order to receive an operation for lung cancer reveals the discrimination people with the virus face.

The 25-year-old patient was rejected by two hospitals before he changed his medical records, after which he was accepted by a third, where he received the operation. The patient said later that he did not want to cheat the doctors, but otherwise he wouldn't have got the treatment he needed.

After the patient's story came to his attention, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang immediately called the health minister requiring the rights of people with HIV be guaranteed and that doctors be protected from being infected.

An investigation needs to be conducted to find out why the two hospitals rejected this man. If they could perform the operation, they have actually violated the law by depriving this person of his right to receive medical treatment. The specific doctors involved should also be punished.

There are regulations stipulating that hospitals cannot turn away patients with HIV. But in reality the discrimination against such people is so persistent that even some doctors do not want to treat people with the virus.

But the discrimination against people with the virus will also put doctors at risk. If those to be treated have to conceal their condition, doctors could be exposed to the risk of being infected.

Actually any kind of discrimination against people with HIV could backlash. When cornered, some AIDS patients or HIV carriers may go to extremes.

Further publicity is needed to increase the public's awareness of the disease and how the virus is transmitted. Premier Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang have set a good example by shaking hands with AIDS patients.

Medical workers in particular need to be told that they are not just shirking their responsibility, but also violating the law by discriminating against people with the virus.

(China Daily 11/23/2012 page8)