Umany opposes mandatory HIV testing for students

The Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) has opposed a suggestion for HIV testing to be made mandatory for students.

The association said it understood the intention of Universiti Malaya Students’ Union (Umsu) ex-president Nur Nazirah Abdullah in addressing rising HIV cases on campus.

However, it said in a statement today that testing should be voluntary.

“One of the four basic principles of medical ethics recognised internationally includes ‘respect for autonomy’, emphasising that healthcare professionals must respect patients’ dignity and autonomy.

“Forcing students to undergo testing violates medical ethics and undermines students’ basic autonomy,” Umany said.

It cited World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on “HIV testing and counselling” which stated that HIV testing must be voluntary and have informed consent of the individual.

“Moreover, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has sternly warned that coercive HIV prevention measures not only violate human rights but also decrease public participation and exacerbate discrimination against high-risk individuals, ultimately being counterproductive.”

The group also raised concerns about the effectiveness of mandatory HIV screening in solving the problem of increasing HIV cases.

It said that according to the WHO, the effectiveness of the policy is very limited, and emphasised addressing the root causes of the rise in HIV cases, which are the stigma against the disease and the lack of sex education.

“Can mandatory HIV screening really solve the problem of rising HIV cases on our campuses?

“The answer is likely negative, as WHO has clearly indicated that the effectiveness of mandatory testing is very limited.

“To address the spread of HIV, we need to tackle the root causes of people’s reluctance to get tested or treated - HIV stigma and the lack of sex education,” it said.

It said that according to a UNAIDS report, in areas with severe HIV stigma, people are twice as likely to avoid hospital treatment for HIV.

“This suggests that educating the public to correct negative stereotypes about HIV patients and creating a discrimination-free environment is the right approach.

“Furthermore, the spread of HIV among adolescents is closely linked to the lack of sex education,” said the group.

Last Tuesday, Malaysian AIDS Council deputy president Dr Dinesh Mahalingam expressed concern about inadequate sexual knowledge among teenagers.

He said Malaysia, being a relatively conservative country, still considers sex a taboo subject.

Autonomy on other matters

Yesterday, Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir said health screenings including HIV testing for new students have been practised for a while.

“This has already been done before but this time it has been publicised, perhaps due to discussions at the parliamentary level asking about the numbers and so on.

“The process involved is from a medical standpoint; medical reports for students entering university are all done, so it’s not something new,” he said.

Umany expressed fear that students will lose their autonomy on other matters if the university implements this policy.

It called on students to unite and resist this policy to protect the “democratic purity” of Universiti Malaya.

“Regarding Nur Nazirah’s suggestion, if the university indeed implements mandatory HIV screening and we allow the university to overstep students’ informed consent and autonomy under the guise of concern, how far are we from enabling students to have true autonomy?

“Therefore, Umany calls on university students to stand together and resist unreasonable policies that infringe on student autonomy, whether it is mandatory screening or the long-standing oppressive Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), to protect the democratic purity of our campus.”

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