Getting a work visa almost has to be a hassle, and that's okay. It's the price of being an expat. I also knew when I moved to Singapore that the place was something of a benevolent dictatorship, and I can live with that too. Cultural differences are also bound to pop up, and I'm perfectly used to that. But. One of the hoops we have to jump through to get an Employment Pass for Singapore is an HIV test.
I wasn't scared, much. Obviously an HIV test is always going to be nerve-wracking, but I've been careful, and I knew I was about as likely to be HIV-positive as I was to be pregnant. But that's beside the point. It seriously rubs me the wrong way that the government wants a record of that particular issue when it comes to foreigners. Or anybody else, really. It ain't right, cultural differences or not.
On the bright side, I will get my EP finalized tomorrow, and my raise with it. Which almost makes it seem worth it!
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For me it depends. If it is a condition of the VISA i might have a concern with it. However in general i don't think its a bad idea.
It might even be helpful for all countries to keep a record of HIV positive people simply to keep track of those carrying to manage the spread of the disease. In other words if someone has it, knows about it and has unprotected sex with people they should be jailed. And a registry might help with this for record keeping/procedural reasons.
In Canada you can be charged with murder for knowingly having unprotected sex if you are aware you are HIV positive without first disclosing this to your partner.
I don't think there is an issue with protected sex and not disclosing but i'm not sure.
All to say that were I ever to be in a position where a test came out positive (God forbid) and it was a precondition to moving to a job or staying somewhere where I was living, I think it might piss me off (especially if I had the money to afford health care and medication) but at the same time I think I would understand.
Managing the spread of HIV is a mugg's game and sometimes decisions like this, while unpalatable to both infected and non-infected people alike might seem harsh, I do believe it is understandable.
Cheers,
P
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