T.N. doctors shun AIDS patients

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T.N. doctors shun AIDS patients

By Feroze Ahmed

CHENNAI MARCH 7. Despite Tamil Nadu's claims to high AIDS awareness,

it is still one of the most regressive States, with more than 90 per

cent doctors refusing to treat people with HIV/AIDS. A fact that

forces these patients to go to the highly-stigmatised sexually

transmitted disease (STD) wards of Government hospitals even for

common colds. They would not get treatment elsewhere. It is a rule

among doctors to direct HIV positive patients to STD cells for any

ailment, for fear of contracting the virus.

In Tamil Nadu, the high level of awareness has not translated into

action. When Rekha (name changed) went to the General Hospital in

Chennai for what appeared to be a gynaecology problem, she was sent

to the STD department. After diagnosis, they referred her to the

gynaecology ward, which turned her out. She was turned out again at

the Government Hospital for Women in Egmore. She was finally treated

in the Government TB Sanatorium, Tambaram, but, as she had not been

seen by a gynaecologist she has been living in agony for the last six

months.

In another instance, a patient who rushed late night to a primary

health care centre in Tambaram with severe stomach-ache, informed the

nurse that she was HIV-positive and asked her to wear protective gear

if necessary. The nurse cursed her, abused her, and chased her out.

(Doctors usually have no way of telling if a patient is HIV-positive

or not unless the patients inform the doctor, which they do to

protect others from risk.) A senior doctor in a Government Hospital

here admitted that the pattern existed: " Some doctors refuse

treatment because, though informed, they are still frightened for

their lives. "

They are so terrified that, according to the `Behavioural

Surveillance Survey - Rural Round II - 2002' conducted by TNSACS, 83

per cent doctors said they would direct HIV/AIDS cases to Government

STD clinics and another nine per cent declared that they would refuse

to treat such people. That leaves only eight per cent doctors to

treat HIV/AIDS patients in rural Tamil Nadu for any ailment.

The report, released this week, also defines a different kind of

fear: " This tendency of not treating HIV/AIDS cases is due to the

inherent fear that they will be blacklisted as AIDS doctors, thereby

losing their regular practice " .

It adds that the doctors included in the survey treated at least

1,800 such cases last year, " which is significant in the rural

settings " . On-ground practice, however, exposes a severe drought in

awareness among doctors. After surgeries on HIV/AIDS patients in

Government Hospitals, most of the equipment used in the operations

are destroyed. " That is totally unnecessary, " points out a TNSACS

official.

" In a recent interactive television programme, someone asked a

participating doctor why they refused to treat HIV/AIDS patients for

common ailments. He replied, `Why should we? Even we have our

families.' And this was on air, " says an indignant P. Kousalya,

president of the Positive Women Network of South India, an HIV-

positive patient herself. " When even doctors are so ignorant, how do

we expect awareness of others. "

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/03/08/stories/2003030802370700

..htm