Malaysian jailed 3.5 months in Singapore after concealing HIV status during blood donation

SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old Malaysian man was sentenced to three months and two weeks in prison on Tuesday (May 3) for concealing his HIV-positive status during a blood donation in October 2020.

The defendant, whose identity was protected by the judge, had engaged in physical relations with his girlfriend and another man within six months prior to the donation.

The defendant had filled out a questionnaire before the blood donation, in which he falsely answered “no” to questions about physical relations with multiple partners and physical relations with men.

Medical staff at the Health Sciences Bureau had warned him of the potential consequences of concealing such information, but he proceeded with the donation.

The defendant was subsequently found to be HIV-positive through blood testing and admitted during an interview with the Center for Infectious Diseases that he had engaged in physical relations with his ex-girlfriend and a man.

The Ministry of Health charged the defendant under the Infectious Diseases Act, and he pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday. The chief prosecutor argued that the defendant’s actions could damage public confidence in blood donation activities and requested a prison sentence and a fine of $10,000.

The defendant’s defence lawyer appealed for leniency, stating that her client had been unable to find work in the past two years due to his foreign nationality and HIV-positive status. She requested that the judge not impose a fine.

In his sentencing statement, the judge took into account the defendant’s cooperation and confession but emphasized the seriousness of concealing HIV-positive status during blood donation. The defendant was sentenced to three months and two weeks in prison and will begin serving his sentence immediately.