Archive of "Insurance firms test applicants for Aids", The Straits Times, 21 May 1989

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Insurance firms test applicants for Aids

By YAW YAN CHONG

Air stewards, tour guides, hairdressers among those affected

M*MI rnajut tnscitantc coni|ia niiN no* rti|Uiif potential « it ents in high ttsk jobs to hi* tested f«#i Aids tiefoie lot trim*: whe.hei to » tept their iif«* |h*,i vy SinKkr mates in jobs luce flight steward t»Hir guide hattttmen and well-travelled businessmen are the considered as nskv by the insuiarne companies.

Three of the five majot firms cqrUi Ifd Prudonti.il Assur ■into. iJreat k-istern Ufo ami I ho Insurant o i m potation t»f Singa poro tlCS) have adopted this guideline and will send tho pro sportive clients for tho blood test if thoir poluv is wotth i» least $100,000.

But if tho sum insured .s higher more than $tj00.(M*» t ln»nts wul ho asked to undergo the blood tost that deter mim^ if ihov hive Aids, t»r th« i *> ndromo vi rus logiidlevs *»f thoir jobs.

The ret|uiremont ame li-»* year after l*rudential tsitd »njt » total of $150,000 lo the families of thtee Auks victim* two flight stewards ami a tout gunk* Ihis was the* main instigalui that ht ought about the require ment It was then that wo opened «»ui rye* to the fait that Ants Is not \ot> far ftom Asia

said a Prudential spokesman The plight of life insurers in the I S. Kurof* and other Aids ifflu ted lounlrios also mack* to i a) companies more awato of the problem In Ihe 1HNK. the life insurance industry in the l*S and Europe gave out large sums of mone> in claims when Aids sufferers took up huge policies The spokesman for Piudential said “Flight stewards tour guides and businessmen who travel overseas regularly, espe dally to high risk areas like the I'S or Furo|»e. are often In ion tact with foreigners This makes them a potential hazard "For example, a businessman who goes to the tTS regularlv may indulge in promiscuous a« tivities with some women there who in turn ate also sexual!) u tive

Thus the.e is a possibility that he n.ight contrai t Aids from them It** not just the ho trusexuaK that we are worried about ’* This HI\ blood test also ap plies to hnr waitresses and host esses homosexuals, bisexuals and haemophiliacs who need reguiar IihmmI fi msfusions, all of whom are ,tlso « onsidered lo he in the high risk group Mr \g Seng loung. the gener al manager .»f the It’S said his firms prospective clients will have to first inswer certain question* »n *heit application form.

• If ihete tie indu at ions in the farm that points in that direction it is likely that he would be asked to go fot a hloud test Kven then we will .ask him to fill a not hot questionnaire about his Ufestvie before deciding whether to send him for the test “If* not jusi he* a use of the fact that lho> travel regularly in then jobs that we suhjecl them to the* test It's a Mimbinntlon of several factors *' he* .trick'd A spokesm.cn fot NTI C In come uxl there are no Aids re lated questions in its proposal fnni but the company is looking into adding some The disease, which breaks down the bodv's immune *>s lem has claimed seven Singa |M>reans *m« e ihe first t iso was disc overed four years ago A lev tal of .£> Singa|*>reans. which in eludes those who dic'd, have been afflicted with the disease*

=See also=
 * Archive of "Three in S’pore found with Aids-linked virus", The Straits Times, 10 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids virus: Doctor who 'found it'", The Sunday Times, 14 April 1985
 * Archive of "A chance to be ahead in medicine", The Singapore Monitor, 16 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids on ‘must report’ list", The Straits Times, 17 April 1985
 * Archive of "Undergrads to be taught about Aids", The Straits Times, 21 April 1885
 * Archive of "16 more may be carriers of Aids virus", The Straits Times, 30 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids doctor thanks mum", The Straits Times, 12 May 1985
 * Archive of "Special lab to do Aids tests soon", The Straits Times, 18 May 1985
 * Archive of "Man with Aids related virus in hospital", The Straits Times, 21 July 1985
 * Archive of "Aids carrier leaves hospital", The Straits Times, 28 July 1985
 * Archive of "Ministry steps up Aids drive", The Straits Times, 5 September 1985
 * Archive of "Singapore ‘first in the world’ to have 100 % screening of donor blood", The Straits Times, 11 September 1985
 * Archive of "S’pore-Stanford research tie-up bid", The Straits Times, 10 October 1985
 * Archive of "Aids: 20,000 cleared", The Straits Times, 29 November 1985
 * Archive of "200 turn up for first public medical convention", The Straits Times, 28 April 1986
 * Archive of "Screening tests likely to uncover more Aids carriers", The Straits Times, 1 May 1986
 * Archive of "100 people could be Aids carriers here: Expert", The Straits Times, 3 August 1986
 * Archive of "Aids claims first victim here", The Straits Times, 11 April 1987
 * Archive of "Fear of Aids pushes up condom sales", The Straits Times, 19 April 1987
 * Archive of "Govt dental clinics phasing out boiling", The Straits Times, 1 October 1987
 * Earliest cases of HIV/AIDS in Singapore
 * HIV/AIDS in Singapore's LGBT community
 * Paddy Chew
 * Avin Tan
 * Ajmal Khan
 * Calvin Tan
 * Adrian Tyler

=References=
 * Yaw Yan Chong, "Insurance firms test applicants for Aidst", The Straits Times, 21 May 1989[].

=Acknowledgements=

This article was archived by Roy Tan.