A village in Uganda is being criticized by civil rights leaders for their shocking mistreatment of citizens living with HIV/AIDS. Individuals who have tested positive for the HIV virus are being forcibly tattooed to indicate the person’s status as infected. Officials at the Moffie Hospital in Kampala claim this is a proactive approach to the increasing epidemic Ugandans are facing.
Hospital director, Poeskak Boudkapper told press, “We have come to the singular conclusion that there is no other way to prevent the spread of this invisible killer. The tattoo will indicate to future sexual partners that the patient is infected with HIV. So many of our sick continue to see prostitutes, and engage in unprotected sexual encounters well after they’ve been informed of their status as HIV positive.”
Senior nurse Onosel Etter elaborated on the procedure and how it has helped to decrease the number of HIV infections in Uganda. “When we receive confirmation that an individual has indeed tested positive for the HIV virus, we inform them in an enclosed room. After they have had a moment to collect themselves we ask that they submit to this tattoo for the purpose of public safety. If the patient resists they are chemically restrained with an injection of powerful sedatives. The tattoo is then completed and the individual is loaded into a transport cart where they are dropped off in the hospital lobby in order to recover from sedation. It is all very safe and sanitary. The procedure has spared many from infection.”
Human rights groups claim the treatment is inhuman and degrading to those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Helen Leek, current program manager for Healthy Tots Uganda, claimed that the procedure is traumatic and unnecessary. “When people receive this tattoo they become pariahs in their own communities. They are shunned and sometimes even murdered. We are working with several local authorities to create a safe house for individuals with HIV tattoos where they can live in peace and receive proper medical treatment for their disease. This is a horrendous practice that should have never been put into place by so called medical professionals.”
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