HIV/AIDS - to inform or not to inform?

  • Prof. Gboyego A Ogunbanjo Medunsa
  • Dr Donna Knapp van Bogaert Medunsa

Abstract

A patient dies of AIDS-related complications in hospital. He had life insuronce cover token out ten years ogo. Relatives want to claim from the insurance company.The doctor is sent the insurance form to complete the couse of death.What are the ethical issues involved in this case? The AIDS epidemic presents a wide range of serious, complicated ond controversiol ethicol issues: outonomy and poternolism, conflics of individuol interests versus that of society, and allocation of scarce resources, to name only a few. Although none of the issues are new, the urgency with which they are presented is unprecedented. Using this case study, we look at one of the rising questions: lf the cause of death is AIDS-related, then does a doctor have the moral obligation to report this on the deceased patient's insurance claim form?

Author Biographies

Prof. Gboyego A Ogunbanjo, Medunsa
MBBS, MFGP (SA), M Fam Med Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care
Dr Donna Knapp van Bogaert, Medunsa
MA, MBA, M. Phil Applied Ethics (Biomedical & Business) (Stell) Department of Anat Path
Issue
Vol 22 No 4 (2000)
Section
Review Articles
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