FROM Monday, all patients aged above 21 admitted to Changi General Hospital (CGH) will be tested for HIV, unless they opt out.

They can indicate in a general consent form for medical treatment, which is given to them on admission. Those who agree to the blood test will pay between $6 and $23, depending on the ward class.

The result will be ready after three hours, and will be kept strictly confidential, said CGH's chief executive officer, Mr T.K. Udairam.

It will not be released to third parties such as employers or insurers.

Those who test positive, or who decline to be tested, will still receive the necessary medical treatment, said Mr Udairam.

'We're not going to hold it against anyone. The testing is so that those who are infected know, and can get proper treatment,' he said.

Treatment for conditions such as diarrhoea and pneumonia will differ for HIV patients because the causes are different.

Patients can also be put on antiretroviral drugs - which can prolong life and improve its quality - without unnecessary delay.

CGH's move is part of an effort to detect earlier those infected with HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, which causes Aids, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

It comes amid rising number of HIV cases being reported.

From January to October this year, 356 Singaporeans and permanent residents were diagnosed with HIV - just one short of last year's record high of 357.

A study done early this year on 3,000 leftover blood samples from hospitalised patients - none of whom were known to have HIV - found that one in 350 tested HIV-positive.

CGH, run by public health group Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), is the first hospital here to carry out such routine HIV testing.

Its sister hospital, Singapore General Hospital, plans to follow suit early next year.

Another hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, has been routinely testing pregnant women for HIV since 2004.

From next month, it will extend this to the very few male adult patients who are warded there.

The National Healthcare Group has no plans, for now, to implement routine HIV testing at its Alexandra, National University and Tan Tock Seng hospitals.

Aids activist group Action for Aids supports CGH's move, as it makes HIV testing more accessible, said its executive director, Mr Lionel Lee.

Mechanic Tang Pun Hip, 64, also welcomes the move: 'It's good for us to know if there's anything wrong with us, so we can be treated earlier,' he said.

Part-time performer Annabella Tey, 34, said: 'I don't need it, but it's a good idea for people who are involved in hanky-panky to be tested.'