THE Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) should urgently address the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases among tertiary students in Malaysia arising from same-sex relationships, Dr Daroyah Alwi said.

The Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) women’s wing chief said the ministry should set up a task force to study this supposed trend in greater detail and find out the reasons students are engaged in gay sex as well as their awareness of contraceptive use. 

“Not only is gay sex against Malaysian law but the resulting health consequences such as the students contracting HIV can also have far-reaching consequences,” she said in a statement today.

Daroyah said many tertiary students are the hopes of the nation and if they succumb to this sexually transmitted disease, it will harm not only the students concerned but also the nation, which has invested heavily in their future.

She was referring to the revelation by family health practitioner Dr Sakinah Sulong in a forum recently. 

Sinar Harian has reported that Sakinah said most of the patients infected with HIV due to gay sex are students of higher education institutes.

She has said the matter is of great concern because it involves young people.

“It is no exaggeration to say that in 100 HIV patients, the majority are young people who got the virus from same-sex relationships,” she was quoted as saying. 

Daroyah said according to Sakinah, medical practitioners stationed in university townships will be able to attest to this trend among students there.

She said as an interim measure, MOHE should direct university administrators to step up on students’ outreach programmes in their respective campuses to curb this trend. 

“It is possible that some university students just need someone who can listen and help prevent them from falling into despair and delusion that leads them to such a risky lifestyle,” she said.

“PBM is of the view that this trend needs to be nipped in the bud.

“If nothing is done to stem the tide, this lifestyle that goes against our local values will gain wider societal acceptance, especially if it is prevalent among university students.”

She said this issue can lead to hefty health costs to the nation and undermine the nation’s social foundations. – September 17, 2022.