Penza, 2 November 2016. PenzaNews. Sergei Oleynik, assistant chief medical officer at the Penza dedicated clinical medical assistance center, advocated the introduction of penalties for discrimination of HIV-positive employees.

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He created a petition on Charge.org website, in which he suggested adding appropriate supplements to the Criminal and Labour Codes, as well as the Administrative Offenses Code.

“The issue of discrimination is very important to counter the epidemic. The fact of the matter is that if people are discriminated by various directions, they are no longer controlled by specialists, they evade contacts with them, do not ask for help for a long while. When they turn to for help, it could be too late. Mortality rates are raising, that is people basically do not get the right to live,” Sergei Oleynik explained to PenzaNews, commenting on the motives that prompted him to create the petition.

He noted that people prefer not to dwell on their diagnosis because others tend to think this is something shameful.

“If we do not speak about it at all, the situation will be just like in Yekaterinburg. Despite the assurance of many experts that there is no AIDS there, the epidemic of HIV infection was officially recognized there. One in 50 is already infected. This is really a lot,” the agency interlocutor stressed.

According to him, the case of dismissal of the HIV-positive doctor, described in the petition, is not the only one.

“People are laid off from work totally with far-fetched excuse. […] People are forced to leave their jobs , in total, they destroy their lives, because often it is connected with loss of employment and with the loss of opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills. This touches upon good specialist,” Sergei Oleynik said.

According to him, the change in the situation with discrimination will largely depend on the position of HIV-infected themselves.

“Some people will just swallow it and will try to get employed in other places. But in the case, described in the petition, it is almost impossible to get a job in any other organization, because the information about the diagnosis was repeatedly disclosed, which is criminal responsibility,” the doctor said.

He stressed that he has been coming across such cases of discrimination since late 1990s.

“There is such initiative now: you get screened for HIV in educational institutions. First, it is illegal. Second, if it happens then a person is immediately under attack. And we know enough people working in schools, kindergartens. There is nothing terrible in it, if treated professionally rather than conventionally,” the agency interlocutor concluded.

As of 12.50 on Wednesday, November 2, the petition was signed by 22 people.