IN 1992, a top hotel sacked a 24-year-old porter after finding out he was HIV-positive.

About five years ago, doctors at a hospital refused to operate on a patient with appendicitis after he tested positive for HIV.

He was referred to the Communicable Diseases Centre.

And for years, parents of HIV-infected children faced problems enrolling them in mainstream schools here. Such accounts, previously whispered among patients and health workers, now has an official avenue where they can be channelled.

Help group Action For Aids (AFA) started an online service in January for HIV-positive patients to report cases of discrimination, mistreatment or harassment.

AFA has since received three complaints, including John's, through its website,

Mr Paul Toh, AFA's director of fundraising and care, said: 'Over the years, we've heard stories such as HIV kids not being accepted at schools or patients being refused immediate treatment at hospitals, but there has been no proper documentation.

'This service will allow us to keep proper records, and show if discrimination is on the rise here. It gives victims an outlet, and AFA can investigate and make a case for them.'

SCHOOL QUERIED MUM'S HEALTH

One case involved a principal who insisted on seeing the health records of a mother when she was registering her child for Primary 1.

The principal had been told the mother was HIV-positive. The child was healthy.

Mr Toh said: 'The mother was indignant. Why did the school need her health records for her daughter's registration?

'If she had been suffering from any other illness, would it have made any difference?'

Mr Toh said the child was eventually accepted at another school. AFA reported the case to the Health Ministry.

A possible reason for the low number of complaints so far is the fear of speaking up, Mr Toh said.

He added: 'We hear stories of discrimination, but they don't translate to official complaints.

'Patients are afraid that speaking up may jeopardise their employment opportunities or that their illness will become known to more people.

'Low numbers may not mean that there is no discrimination going on.'

There is no discrimination law here, but the Tripartite Centre for Fair Employment was launched last November to ensure that workers such as the elderly, women who are pregnant or have young children, and ethnic minorities do not suffer discrimination at the workplace.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said it had not received any complaints of wrongful dismissal or discrimination of HIV patients at the workplace.

But he said employees who feel they have been unfairly dismissed can appeal to MOM within a month of dismissal for reinstatement or compensation.

He added: 'Employees who experience discrimination at the workplace are advised to take up the issue with their management, or through their unions if they are union members.

'Employees can also contact the tripartite centre to provide feedback on workplace-related discrimination issues so that the centre can advise and provide assistance accordingly.'

- HIV patients facing discrimination can contact AFA through its website, www.afa.org.sg

This story was first published in The New Paper on Aug 5, 2008.