Re: Gujarat: HIV discrimination in state hospitals

[Guest guest]

Sir

This is in response to the subject item published in TOI, Ahmedabad. HIV

discrimination in state hospitals.

My personal experience in Gujarat was that the state hospitals in Ahmedabad

(Civil Hospital and BJ Medical College) have never refused treatment to any HIV

positive patient. At any given time, the ID ward has a more than its share of

HIV patients undergoing treatment including emergency surgery and deliveries in

the gynaecology ward.

Such alarmist headlines without any supportive text needs to be discouraged and

cheap publicity by the author condemned. The author has only mentioned a couple

of cases of private practioners refusing treatment to HIV patients -that

happens in all the states, yet the headlines convey the meaning that it is the

state hospitals which are refusing treatment

Infact, Gujarat may have one of the best records of treatment and Management of

HIV patients in government hospitals especially in Ahmedabad. The second factor

which is highlighted is the family support available to such patients

Of course, there is need to train not only senior doctors but also the Junior

doctors and also the private practitioners.

For information, IHO-Boston, USA, a NGO has established a Regional AIDS training

Center (RATNEI) at Patna for training such private practinors and has already

run 5 Modules, so far. The faculty is drawn from the National level and

International Level from Medical school/CDC Atlanta and other reputed

institutions. The details can be had from www.ihousa.org

Thank you

Dr HS Ratti

E-mail: <ratti2@...>