Medical staff may soon be able to ignore patient confidentiality, if other peoples health is being placed at risk.
Auckland District Health Board members were told an HIV positive man was allegedly infecting people with the virus six months ago.
The Public Health Act 1956 requires the patient's file be kept private, and the information wasn't passed onto police.
Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia says this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
She's meeting with health officials on Tuesday to discuss changes to the law.
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