Hospitals show door to critical HIV+ patient

[Guest guest]

Hospitals show door to critical HIV+ patient

Manisha Sharma, The Hindustan Times, 18 May 2007

For 16 agonising hours starting from Wednesday night, Krishna was shunted from

one hospital to hospital. No doctor wanted to touch him even as his blood

pressure was shooting up due to renal failure. Reason: he is HIV-positive.

At first, Krishna, a Naz Foundation of International (NFI) employee, was rushed

to Mayo Hospital in Gomti Nagar, then to Nova Hospital and thereafter to Sewa

Hospital for dialysis.

He was refused help at all three hospitals. Next, at King 's Medical

College, the dialysis machine was not working.

Finally, his family and friends managed to take him to the SGPGI hospital at 2

a.m.

Initially, the staff said they would admit him but developed cold feet as soon

as they heard the 'H' word. Thereafter, the staff started coming up with excuses

and refused to admit the patient.

After being told about the medical protocols and medico-legal rights, the

authorities were forced to admit Krishna. But they kept him in the emergency

ward and failed to provide him with the appropriate treatment till 7.30 a.m.

Meanwhile, NFI chief Arif Jafar managed to inform Uttar Pradesh State AIDS

Control Society project director S.P. Goyal about Krishna's plight. Goyal, in

turn, spoke to SGPGI director A.K. Mahapatra and got an assurance from him that

the patient would be treated. But even then, Krishna was wheeled into the

operation theatre for dialysis only at 3 p.m. On Thursday.

Jafar shudders to think of what an " ordinary " HIV-positive patient who knows no

doctor or higher authority in the medical fraternity would have to go through to

get life-saving treatment.

" Forget a common man, even the medical fraternity is not sensitive toward the

plight of HIV-positive people, " says Naresh Yadav of UP Positive People's

Network, an NGO.

The United Nations General Assembly held a special session on HIV and AIDS five

years ago and thereafter, a declaration to make a specific commitment to

reducing the social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS was adopted. Despite this,

many HIV-positive people still experience some of the worst discrimination.

And for every Krishna who gets reported, there are numerous other cases that go

unnoticed.

Manisha Sharma

The Hindustan Times

Email: itsmanisha@...

Online at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=87ad8601-af7a-4642-a19\

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________________

With warm wishes

For Naz Foundation International

Arif Jafar

Executive Director

Registered Office:

Naz Foundation International

9 Gulzar Colony, New Berry Lane,

Behind Times Of India, Lucknow - 226 001, U.P., India

Phone: +91 (0)522 - 2205781-2 Fax: +91 (0)522 2205783

Email: arif@... Website: www.nfi.net