Hepatitis B and Employment in the UK: Can someone with hepatitis B work as a nurse in UK?
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Hepatitis B is a vaccine preventable liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B is spread when blood, semen, or other body fluids from a person infected with the virus enters the body of someone who is not infected.
In the UK, your hepatitis B status is required for the following:
โ Pre-employment
โFor students who will enter medical internship
โ Health-care workers like doctors , nurses, lab scientist etc
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐๐๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
๐คuestion: Can I be terminated from employment in the UK if I am infected with Hepatitis B virus as a nurse, a lab scientist or a doctor?
๐nswer: No. Hepatitis B status should not be used to deny employment to workers. Workers shall not be terminated from work or be subjected to discrimination on the basis of actual (evidenced based), perceived or suspected Hepatitis B status.
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That you are hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV positive does not prevent you from working as a nurse, doctor or lab scientist in the UK , USA or even Nigeriaโฆ.the reason for the pre-employment medical tests for hepatitis b or HIV is only to k ow your status before starting you job, it is not meant to screen you out of the jobโฆ.
Again, the outcome of the hepatitis b,HIV or hepatitis C tests will not stop you from getting the job if you have been employed as a nurse or doctor.
If you are hepatitis B positive and you are aspiring to be a nurse or doctor or any other profession in the health sector, donโt be deterred, go ahead and become one, there is no UK law that prevents you from working as a nurse if you are hepatitis b positive.
You can go ahead and sue any hospital that denies you job on account of your hepatitis b status. It is against the UK law. There are even advocacy groups that are against pre-employment testing for infectious diseases like hepatitis B, C or HIV citing it as discriminatory.
Hepatitis B does not hinder your employment in the UK or United States.
I hope you found this useful?
Dr Udomoh ESHEMOKHA wrote this.
