BURIRAM — A nurse in northeastern Thailand has been formally reprimanded for expressing disgust towards HIV/AIDS patients at her hospital on social media, the hospital director says.
The nurse, whose username on Facebook was Hoy Jub, wrote that she was upset by the high number of AIDS patients at the public hospital she works for in Buriram province.
The post read:
"I did an internship at Khon Kaen for five years. I found one case of HIV infection. That already horrified me … Since I moved to work in Buriram at Patient 60 building, I have found 10 AIDS patients so far. People in Buriram, apart from mental disorders, many of them have AIDS. These days, when I see men with black and red skin, or men who look reddish, walking to me, I immediately sign the damn Dx [Thai doctors lingo for diagnosis] for them.
Whoever wants to work here [should know] that the quality of life here is poor, and you risk death every day. You won't be able to stay here if you don't have a strong will."
The post, which had "Public" setting, quickly went viral, drawing condemnation from Internet users who viewed the nurse’s attitude as discriminatory towards HIV/AIDS patients.
Jaran Thongtub, director of Buriram Provincial Hospital, confirmed that the nurse works at the hospital, but would not identify her by name. He said she has been reprimanded and disciplined by the hospital administration for the post.
"She admits that she posted the message without carefully considering the consequences," Jaran said. "If she repeats the action, she would be punished accordingly."
The hospital director added that the nurse is also planning to upload a video, in which she will publicly apologize to the public for the message she wrote.
The nurse's Facebook account appears to have been deactivated.
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