Re: Indore hospital refuses admission to HIVAIDS patients

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

I thought I have seen everything, but we, Indians, have got an

uncanny knack to surprise ourselves and others. Now what will we say

after all these years of sensitization and public awareness? If we

have failed even to sensitize the medical fraternity, then what to

say about the general public. Or is it that the medical fraternity

that gets sensitized the last? How can we ask the citizens not to

discriminate and stigmatize when these elite 'medical' practitioners

refuse to be sensitive even to basic rights. Anyone who looked into

HIV/AIDS know that general precautionary measures are enough to

prevent the spread among clients and service providers. No, we don't

want to learn. Our great culture of discrimination, what we call

caste, makes people to be insensitive to human rights. We take it for

granted discrimination and stigma as natural orders of life. We will

talk of racism but will never see caste discrimination as racism.

Discrimination is the way of life for us.

I am not even asking for punishment of the officials or what the

great NACO is doing in sensitization, when they fail even to

sensitize the medical profession. I am just sad and feel hopless. And

please don't say there is a ray of hope by saying that we have a

president and health minister who will kiss positive kids. May be

next time we will win oscar for best acting (in the life-time

achievement section).

With self pity and sad to the core

Maitreya

E-mail: maitreya@...