Discrimination against hepatitis B infected medical students could end

Students infected with hepatitis B, a highly infectious liver disease, may soon be allowed to train as doctors after a review by UK government and universities. Under the new plans, medical students would also be screened for HIV and hepatitis C for the first time. A positive result would not, however, mean that they could not become doctor.

The hepatitis B virus is thought to be the leading cause of liver cancer and is about 100 times more infectious than HIV. Currently students who test positive for the hepatitis B virus cannot be admitted to medical school. But the Bloodborne Virus Protocol Development Group, which is advising the government, is considering changing the rules to stop discrimination against infected students. The protocol group, which is led by the Council of Heads of Medical Schools, was set up in response to a new ruling from the General Medical Council. The ruling says that students can be trained as doctors without doing “exposure prone procedures.”

The news has alarmed patient groups. Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, said, “If it becomes public knowledge that students who will later qualify as doctors have an infectious disease people will be very disturbed, quite naturally.”

Exactly which procedures this covers is still up for debate. An infected doctor would likely not be allowed to deliver babies, do surgery, or be involved in trauma cases, but they would be able to do safer procedures, such as taking blood. Hepatitis B was the disease that caused most concern within the group because it was a “thoroughly nasty virus” and much easier to contract than either HIV or hepatitis C.

“This is never going to be an easy issue to resolve. If you went to your doctor and he cut himself while taking blood you would want to know he didn't have hepatitis B or HIV. But if you were bleeding to death you wouldn't care,” said a spokesperson for the group.

Julius Weinberg, an expert in infectious disease and pro vice chancellor for research at City University, said, “I think it reasonable to expect potential doctors to be aware of any infectious disease they might have.” He added that an infected doctor could take “appropriate steps” to ensure they were not putting patients at risk.

The medical students committee of the British Medical Association welcomed letting students with hepatitis B study medicine but criticised plans to test students for HIV at the start of their courses. Jonathan Beavers, deputy chairman of the committee, said that the policy was “ridiculous and ill thought out.”