Kisii County Director of Health Services Dr Geoffrey Otomu has refuted media reports that health workers in the region forced members of the public to undergo HIV testing against their consent.
On Tuesday, Otomu dismissed media reports that health workers recently forced commercial sex workers arrested by security officers during a swoop in Kisii streets and lodgings to undergo HIV testing against their wishes.
Speaking at Gusii Stadium during this year's World Aids Day, Otomu termed the reports as alarming and misleading to the public, as they reflected negatively on the image of the health workers and the county.
"As health workers from this county, we adhere to the ethics of the medical profession and professionally handle our clients with respect to their right of privacy. I am making it clear that no health worker from this county has ever forced any member of the public to undergo HIV testing against their will as reported recently in a cross section of the media," stated the health director.
He regretted that the reports were meant to scare the public and incite them against health workers across the county and challenged the media to be objective while reporting on issues of such magnitude and importance to society .