At least five out of 15 complaints documented in the HIV and Human Rights Mitigation Report 2015 are made up of HIV discrimination at the workplace, commonly in the tourism and entertainment sector such as hotels, golf resorts, and entertainment venues, according to a report by the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) released on Wednesday.

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There were 3,330 new HIV infections reported in 2015, according to a statistics from Malaysia's Health Ministry.  And eight of the 15 complaints of workplace discrimination result in demotion or forced resignation due to their HIV-positive status. One of the cases also occurred in a government-linked public transport company and six were related to discriminatory complaints in the public health sector.

The report was compiled by Fifa Rahman, MAC's policy manager.

Despite introducing the Code of Practice on Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS in 2001, lots of people suffering from the disease are still experiencing discrimination because of stigma.

Bakhtiar Talhah, MAC President, said in a press conference that "Stigmatization of the disease overpowers the code of practice," urging businesses an d corporations to take appropriate actions in ensuring that the employees' rights are being protected.

"Every single person living with HIV has a right to health and freedom from discrimination or any form of inhumane or degrading treatment," Bakhtiar said.

According to Rahman, some employees who were terminated got their job back after cases were brought to the top management. MAC also handled a case of a government doctor who was relieved from duty after he was found to be HIV positive. According to the guideline of the Malaysian Medical Council guidelines, HIV positive doctors are allowed to continue working as long as they take their medication and adhere to safety precautions when dealing with patients.

TagsHIV Discrimination, hiv aids, Mac, MALAYSIA AIDS COUNCIL