Hep C tracking hampered by privacy issues

Health authorities have tested more than half the women in New Zealand potentially exposed to the hepatitis C virus in a Melbourne abortion clinic, but are being hampered by confidentiality rules which mean they cannot leave phone messages.

Fifty-six New Zealand women have called the Ministry of Health's Healthline, concerned they had contracted the virus after James Latham Paters, an anaesthetist at Melbourne's Croydon Day Surgery Clinic was now being investigated by police and medical authorities. More than 20 of his patients tested positive to a strain of hepatitis C identical to his own.

"The Australian Victorian health authorities have contacted 33 New Zealanders and the bulk of those have been tested," said the ministry's director of public health, Fran McGrath.

The New Zealand test result figures would be released as part of the Australian report once the contacting and testing process was completed. The ministry expected to have a further update in September.

Dr McGrath said contacting the women was a slow process because confidentiality requirements meant callers could not leave messages and had to repeatedly ring back.

"Even contacting one individual can take several calls followed by a registered letter, all of which can take a considerable period of time."

Victorian health authorities were in the process of contacting another 14 people and they have details of another eight New Zealanders still to be contacted as they work through the 3500 people treated at the clinic.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that causes inflammation of the liver and which can have serious complications.

Of those 746 women tested in Australia, 44 have been found to have hepatitis C, half of whom have had their infection linked to the private Croydon medical centre.

"Our priority is still to encourage women to come forward so they can be tested and treated if needed. Anyone treated at the Croydon Day Surgery clinic between January 2006 and December 2009 should ring Healthline on 0800 611 116," Dr McGrath said.

The ministry estimated that about 5 percent of women treated at the clinic may have contracted Hepatitis C. Based on this information we estimate that up to three New Zealand women may test positive.

- NZPA