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SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health said 218 people were diagnosed HIV positive in the first six months of this year.
The number is up from 154 cases in the same period last year but slightly less than half of the 456 HIV cases for the whole of 2008.
Clinics which started offering anonymous HIV testing last November said they have seen up to three times more patients coming for testing.
One practice in Jurong West is one of seven clinics across Singapore conducting anonymous HIV tests. Some 200 to 300 people have been tested here since last November and six results have come back HIV-positive.
Dr Raymond Soh uses a rapid test which gives a result within 20 minutes.
Dr Soh, general practitioner, Dr Soh Family Clinic, said: "Before the testing, I usually do a pre-test counselling. I will advise them on the implication of a positive test, tell them about the consequences.
"If they are not ready to accept a positive test, I will postpone the test. So most of them, when they are tested positive, they are usually calm."
Those who want to get tested at any of the seven anonymous clinics do not need to provide their names or IC numbers. But the clinics must provide the number of cases that have been tested HIV positive to the Health Ministry. This data will then be used to study the spread of the disease.
The largest provider of anonymous HIV testing is Action For Aids. The non-profit organisation conducted 7,593 tests last year, of which 136 were positive. It has not given any numbers on HIV-positive cases from its clinic this year.
Lionel Lee, executive director, Action for Aids, said: "Post test counselling is a very important procedure that all anonymous test sites should follow closely, especially if one is HIV positive.
"We direct them to our support group "Project Hope", where these individuals are given the right information and a buddying system to help them allay their fears as well as being given the right information on medication and treatment."
The organisation encourages patients to seek treatment in Singapore rather than overseas. But the upfront costs can be substantial.
So, starting from September, patients diagnosed with HIV at the Action For Aids clinic at Kelantan Lane will receive S$200 to help them pay for the treatment. - CNA/vm
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