Chandigarh PGI: HIV positive faces medical apathy

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HIV positive faces medical apathy Aditi TandonTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 6 Freshly detected with HIV, 18-year-old Deepak is losing his zeal to live. And HIV positive status is not the only cause for his distress. A greater cause is the indifference of medical practitioners who, he says, made him wait outside the PGI emergency for hours while he kept writhing in pain.Deepak with his mother Darsha and father Banarasi Lal. — Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan

He had been rushed to the PGI emergency on February 15, with severe pus formation in his left leg. Prior to that, he had tested positive for HIV at Manimajra Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre for HIV. He was brought to Manimajra dispensary with the complaint of excruciating pain in the left leg. Within a few hours, his HIV positive status had been determined.

Some days later, Deepak's condition worsened and his wounds started to putrefy. On February 15, the pain became unbearable and he was brought to the PGI emergency where he lay unattended for many hours. Overload at the emergency was one dominant reason. It finally took the intervention of members of Chandigarh Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (CNP +) to get the doctors to look at the patient's card.

Mr Nawendu Jha, coordinator of the network, confirmed to The Tribune today, "Deepak was brought to the emergency at 2 pm but till about 5 pm, no one had attended to him. Finally I along with Network President Pooja Thakur went to the emergency and requested the doctors to attend to Deepak and administer him a dose of painkillers. The doctors, on seeing Deepak's slip, referred him to Orthopedics Department. When we requested them to give him some respite from pain, they told us to mind our own business."

The saga of Deepak's suffering did not end here. Despite being referred to Orthopaedics Department, he had not been admitted there till 10 pm. Finally, Deepak's mother had to again seek the help of CNP +. Mr Jha even called up the Head of Orthopaedics Department that night, but he was not at home. "For the entire night, Deepak was lying outside in the cold, unattended and in pain. He was admitted the next morning and operated upon the next night," said Mr Jha.

Soon after, the boy was discharged although he still seems to be in dire need of medical attention. He can't even walk as his legs have been severely infected. Lodged at the Community Care Centre, Khuda Alisher these days, he is now battling suicidal thoughts while his family is battling poverty.

"Even the Community Centre people are telling us that they won't keep Deepak for long. I don't know how will I manage when Deepak is discharged. Where we live in Panchkula slums, there are no proper toilets. And my son can't even walk. I wish I had the money to buy him treatment and care. There are so many NGOs working in HIV sector but none has come to our aid," said Darsha, who wants to know where all the funds being sent for the treatment and care of HIV infected persons are going.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070307/cth1.htm#11