THE UK should change its laws in line with Europe and the rest of the world to give doctors powers to treat people who have a contagious disease and yet refuse treatment, says Philip Monk, a communicable disease specialist in Leicestershire.
The issue flared up this week after Monk revealed that a patient with tuberculosis had infected a dozen other people after refusing treatment himself. “I’d like to see a law enabling me to issue treatment orders,” says Monk.
In the UK, doctors cannot treat someone against their will, though senior judges can order someone with TB to be kept…
