A man has reportedly been kicked out of his Cyprus hotel after the management were tipped off that he was HIV-positive by a medical centre.
The unidentified British holidaymaker's fell over after becoming dizzy, and suffered a minor injury. His tour operator arranged for him to be seen in a private clinic, where he alerted staff to his HIV-positive status and was treated.
His ordeal began when he returned to his Paphos hotel to be told that he was no longer welcome. The clinic had reportedly alerted hotel management to his condition, and advised them to burn the sheets and disinfect the room.
Paphos, the Cypriot island where the holidaymaker was kicked out of his hotel
The tourist was then rejected from other hotels as news of his condition spread around the island. During the move, he lost his medication and was without it for six days.
Stella Michaelidou, the head of the board of HIV and AIDS support centre KYFA, told the Daily Mail: "A doctor from the clinic called the hotel where the injured man was staying and informed them of his condition. This is a breach of medical confidentiality. It is strictly forbidden.
"I've been working at KYFA as a volunteer since 1994 and this is the first time I've come across such a thing," she added.
"It's like in the 80s before we knew what HIV was. It's ignorance and we have to solve this… You may [expect to] find this ignorance in an ordinary person, but in a doctor?"
She went on to say that Paphos' health ministry and the Cyprus Medical Association have launched investigations into the claims.
The island's commissioner for administration and human rights Eliza Savvidou said in a statement: "Unfortunately, the elements of the case reveal the deeply rooted, widespread and extremely persistent prejudices surrounding the issue of HIV/AIDS and are based on ignorance and lack of information, even by health professionals."
“Observing medical confidentiality and providing care without discrimination is a fundamental duty of every health professional and administrative staff members at healthcare providers, both public and private.
“Moreover, respect for human rights of HIV carriers is a basic obligation of the state as a whole.”