CNA file photo

Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan passed a law amendment Tuesday to allow HIV tests to be conducted on certain categories of patients without their consent to protect healthcare workers from the risk of infection.

The patients involved are those who are unconscious individuals who cannot express their will and abandoned babies, according to the revised HIV Infection Control and Patient Rights Protection Act.

In cases where the patients are below 20 years of age and where their guardians are unavailable to give consent, HIV tests can be conducted as long as the patients themselves agree to being tested, the amended law stipulates.

People who violate the new provisions can be fined between NT$30,000 (US$950.40) and NT$150,000.

Tuesday's amendment, meanwhile, removed the existing penalties for confirmed HIV/AIDS patients who refuse to accept further examination or treatment.

(By Chen Wei-ting and Y.F. Low)
ENDITEM/J

Related:
●Jan. 20: Taiwan lifts deportation requirement for foreigners with HIV/AIDS