Law to protect Bahrain from AIDS soon

Manama : Parliament yesterday discussed in their weekly meeting a report on a law proposal that aims at protecting the society from the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

In the session, which was chaired by the First Deputy Speaker Ali Al Aradi, the MPs reviewed, discussed and voted on the council’s Services Committee’s report on the proposal.

The proposal is intended to protect the society from AIDS and protect the rights of the carriers of the disease.

During the discussion, it was stated that the proposal is aimed at enhancing coordination between government authorities, private sector establishments and civil societies to curb the spread of AIDS among the members of the society.

“This is to develop public awareness on the disease and enlighten them on the rights and duties of AIDS carriers. It also comes to ensure the rights of carriers without any discrimination against them and reduce the harm caused to them by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the cause of the disease. Patients and their family members are entitled to receive social and psychological support,” the council said in a statement, adding that the proposal sets the necessary regulations to guarantee that blood donors are free from AIDS.

Attending the discussion on behalf of the Ministry of Health was the Ministry’s Disease Control Department Head Dr. Adel Al Sayyad.

While MPs were discussing whether children’s custody should be removed from the carriers of the disease or not, Dr. Al Sayyad insisted that AIDS couldn’t be passed on through parental custody, confirming that “not a single registered case was proven to be caused by this reason.”

The official told the MPs that there are two means that the infection could be passed on from one person to the other, which are sexual intercourse or through blood (transfer, using same injections etc.).

By the end of the discussion, MPs Dr. Jameela Al Sammak, Majid Al Majid, Mohammed Milad and Adel Al Assoomy spoke about the medical, moral, legal and religious aspects of the subject.

However, a majority of lawmakers eventually agreed to give carriers of the disease the right of children’s custody.