The HIV stigma had always been in our community for it is a virus that currently does not have a cure and it can lead to AIDS. Most feared that they were somehow be infected with the virus if they stay around people who are infected.
Nonetheless, HIV can only be transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids and most people get infected by having unprotected sex with someone who has HIV, while another common way of getting it is by sharing drug needles with someone who is infected with HIV.
Those were the basics of HIV that we should educate the public. However, a medical officer from Perlis had did just the opposite by preaching on TikTok that HIV is God’s way punishing those who commit sexual immorality.
The trainee doctor, Mohd Izham was then under fire as netizens called out to him and said that his opinion was inaccurate and unnecessary.
As the situation worsens, Mohd Izham had shut himself off on social media. However, the backlashes just gets worse and some called on the Health Ministry to take action against him.
The TikTok clip was originally posted on 16 September, where he said a patient of his came to him to be treated for venereal disease.
After diagnosing him, Mohd Izham told himself “I had a bad feeling about it… he either had syphilis, HIV, or gonorrhoea, so he took a blood test.”
Dia ni Penolong Pegawai Perubatan.— Indra (@ardnie) September 28, 2021
Kalau ada sesiapa nak buat test HIV atau STD, elakkan la jumpa orang macam ni. Makin stress nanti.
Tak perlu la nak terus judge & jatuhkan hukum walau jelas apa yg pesakit dia buat tu, salah. pic.twitter.com/WHfoQGU0NL
He then named his patient as “Azrul” for anonymity purposes and said that his prediction was accurate.
“When the results came, it confirmed that Azrul (not the patient’s real name) had HIV. HIV positive boh.” he said.
The trainee doctor then continue saying Azrul was shocked after receiving the news and Azrul then admitted that he had been involved in “scandals”.
Mohd Izham then gave his thoughts regarding the matter and said “God created HIV as a punishment for those who had premarital sex.”
He then went on saying that safe sex practices such as wearing condoms, had no effect in preventing someone from getting HIV, if God wanted them to get it.
“It’s not just you who would be ashamed, your parents and family will be embarrassed.”
Obviously, his comments invited criticism from Malaysians who said that the information provided by the medical officer was both inaccurate and prejudice towards HIV patients.
“He’s an assistant medical officer. Please avoid people like him if you’re looking to test for HIV or STDs. It will be so stressful. Do not pass judgment and jump to conclusions about patients even if it appears clear to you. It’s wrong.” a netizen said.
“The comments made are uncalled for, blatantly equating the disease as God’s punishment doesn’t contribute to reduce the ever-existing stigma. Very unprofessional coming from a medical fraternity.” another netizen said.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts!