Liver disease group backs complaint over policeman’s dismissal

An association representing people with liver disease has backed a complaint lodged with Greece’s Ombudsman by a former employee of the Greek Police who was allegedly dismissed after being diagnosed with Hepatitis B.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the union described the dismissal of the unnamed employee as “groundless discrimination,” which boosts the social stigma attached to the disease.

“This unjustifiable dismissal, which was based exclusively on the fear of a possible transmission of the virus and on the supposed inability of the individual in question to perform office duties, is prohibited by the Constitution and by the European Convention on Human Rights,” the statement said.