Re Discrimination in Dental Care settings in Guwahati Medical College Hospital

[Guest guest]

Dear Jahnabi and the FORUM,

In addition to informing the PD of Assam SACS, I suggest that you approach the

Indian Dental Association and the Council that gives registration for dental

surgeons (like the Assam Medical Council or whatever) with the express petition

to strike the offending Dental Surgeon of GMC and the offending private

practitioner off their rolls and disbar them from practicing dental surgery for

refusing to treat you!

You must also seek legal advice to file writ petitions in Assam High Court and /

or the Supreme Court accusing them of medical negligence and requesting

exemplary punishment for both: as refusing to treat a person because s/he is HIV

positive is against the law... It may be good also to raise a media blitz over

this incident accessing the electronic and print media.

Just a word of caution: medical persons are extremely powerful and clannish and

operate as a closed, hierarchical and parochial group, so also expect that they

will come tooth and nail against you and try to prove their " innocence " - they

may also remove and destroy or delete any records that you ever attended their

clinics to show the world that you are not telling the truth! So an early filing

of case and sealing medical records may be a good idea!

This would be a tough struggle, but a favourable judgement or action will be a

great victory for people infected/affected by HIV/AIDS throughout the country

who suffer everyday such a great deal from insensitive and uncaring health

professionals.

Wish you and your network luck in your struggle and activism and hope that some

sensible dental surgeon has finally managed to help you with your tooth ache.

In solidarity,

Amitrajit

Dr. Amitrajit Saha

Kolkata (India)

E-mail: amitrajitsaha@...