Kerala: Government officials land in fix for revealing AIDS patient

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has directed the state government to take action against senior government officials who leaked out the confidential details of an employee who was allegedly suffering from AIDS, leading to his isolation by colleagues and her neighbours. The victim is a widow and mother of two teenage daughters who are uninfected. Also, her father suffered a stroke soon after hearing the news which was a closely guarded secret until the leak.

As per the complaint, an official letter from her office here sent to the state government had specified that she was a AIDS patient. It was leaked to a colleague who spread the news to everyone in the office with a professional vendetta against her. Further, a relative of the same colleague personally went to victim’s neighbours and family and revealed the matter in January 2015. The woman’s husband had died of AIDS, and she had not faced any social issues until the disclosure.

The commission acting chairperson P. Mohandas has demanded strict action against the deputy secretary (finance) and the administrative assistant of complainant’s organisation. As per the guidelines by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the details of HIV-positive persons should be kept confidential. However, an action is still pending against deputy secretary, the senior official who was responsible for guarding the confidentiality. 

As per sources, a case regarding this was filed with the local police and the administrative assistant, a contractual employee, was fired. The police has expressed helplessness as there is no legal provision in the Indian Penal Pode or Code of Criminal Procedure to press charges. Chief Secretary S.M. Vijayanand said departmental action could be taken if any internal probe found that the officer was guilty.