MALAYSIA: When Jeffrey (not his real name), 38, was diagnosed with the disease in 2003, he was told by his doctor to "go out and do all the bad things since you are going to die anyway".

"He made me feel awful," said Jeffrey.

Today, Jeffrey works as a volunteer at Sungai Buloh Hospital, helping people who are HIV positive.

He is on medication and lives a healthy life.

But stories of doctors' discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients are prevalent.

"Not in this hospital (Sungai Buloh). But the patients who are referred here from elsewhere tell me about their experiences."

He said a patient was told by a general practitioner to get out of his office when he told the doctor he was HIV positive.

His fellow volunteer, Rina (not her real name), 38, and HIV positive, spoke of her experience while caring for her husband, a former drug addict, at a government hospital a few years ago.

"The nursing staff were rude to him and other HIV/AIDS patients. Sometimes, they did not even want to change his IV fluid packet and I had to do it."

Even she, although she had not been diagnosed with the disease then, faced discrimination.

"They looked at me like I was a prostitute," said Rina, who was infected by her husband.

Her anger towards rude doctors and nurses is still apparent, even though she has come to terms with the disease and is under care and medication at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

"I can tell you so many stories of discrimination. They (the nurses) did not hide the fact that they would wear two pairs of gloves when they needed to give him (her husband) an injection.

"They never cleaned him properly or even the ward. They weren't bothered at all," she said bitterly.

Sungai Buloh Hospital head of Infectious Diseases Department Dr Christopher Lee said some medical personnel discriminated against patients with HIV/AIDS.

During his time at Kuala Lumpur Hospital in the 1990s, where he took care of HIV/AIDS patients, there were not many doctors who were eager to deal with such patients.

"Sometimes, I had to refer my HIV positive patients to one of them, and I would get a 'Aiya, no need to refer to me lah, give the case to someone else'."

He said doctors could be afraid of getting infected through accidental pricking.

The fight against the discrimination and stigma of HIV/AIDS, Dr Lee said, must start with the health care profession.

"If you as a doctor or nurse are going to discriminate against HIV/AIDS patients, how do you expect regular people not to discriminate?"

Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) president Professor Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said her patients had related incidents of discrimination by the medical profession.

"Some have been refused surgery on the basis of their status."

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Khoo Kah Lin said there were no cases reported of doctors discriminating against HIV/AIDS patients and it was possible that the patients might be "a bit sensitive" about the issue.

When they get a HIV/AIDS case, most doctors feel that these cases should be referred to a special centre such as the Infectious Diseases Unit at the University Malaya Medical Centre or Sungai Buloh Hospital, where the patients can get help without having to spend too much money, he said.

Dr Lee said times were changing.

The younger generation of doctors had a "phenomenal" attitude towards HIV/AIDS patients, he added.

There is an annual awareness campaign developed by MAC and pharmaceutical firm Merck Sharp & Dohme Malaysia called "It Begins With You".

The campaign is aimed at providing medical students with a look at the HIV/AIDS scenario in Malaysia, medical updates on what the future holds for the treatment of these patients and to showcase the role doctors play in the treatment and management of HIV/AIDS.