West Bengal: Protesting against discrimination and stigmatization in government hospitals

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

Sub: - Protesting against discrimination and stigmatization in government

hospitals for treatment denial through an agitation at Esplanade East (Rani

Rasmoni Avenue)

Respected Sir / Madam,

Greetings from BNP+!

As you all know, off late a case was taken place with a seriously ill HIV

positive person at Medical College Hospital, Kolkata. This is a regular cases

that happening in the hospitals day after day even after several technical

assistance and capacity building efforts from West Bengal State AIDS Prevention

and Control Society.

After the aforesaid case, the Honorable Health Secretary of West Bengal State

Government, Dr. Sanchita Bakshi, gave a statement in Ananda Bazaar Patrika that

they refer to the HIV patients to their home from the Hospital when they have no

hope of live. Not only that she also added “the fluid that comes out after one’s

death from a dead body in case of HIV positive is very much dangerous and

infectious”, so no one come forward to help them at that time. As medical

college has no system to handle that kind of situations so they advise the HIV

affected family members to take the patients from the hospital, but she didn’t

give any source from where she got the information and also did not clear is

this applicable for any kind of communicable diseases or HIV/AIDS only.

The strong reactions are keeping coming from various stakeholders and mass

population after reading the comments in the newspaper. General people started

asking questions to the NGO’s, who are working with this issue. They raised

questions to the NGO persons that they have given them wrong information about

the spreading of HIV/AIDS. Their question is “if it is not spread through touch,

then why Health Secretary told this”. Our concern is, it will make hard task for

those Social workers who are working in the field of HIV/AIDS. And the PLWHAs

will face more stigma and discrimination within the society for this particular

statement. We think such statement will increase the stigma.

To protest these kinds of situations (treatment denials and irresponsible

comments by government officials), we have thought for continuous ongoing

planning to raise issues in front of common masses. The first step of the

movement that is going to organize an Agitation Congregation at Esplanade East

(Rani Rasmoni Avenue), Just behind the Curzon Park near Esplanade bus stand , on

June 11, 2007 from 12 noon.

The protest is being organized under the banner of Treatment Action Campaign -

West Bengal, which includes several NGOs working on HIV/AIDS, gender, sexuality

and human rights issues.

We seek the involvement of your renowned organization in the aforesaid

programme, which is working on HIV & AIDS and related issues to participate with

us to combat this menace.

Expecting your active participation in solidarity with the PLHAs in West Bengal.

Thanking you

Yours sincerely

Tarit Chakraborty

President, BNP+

Forwarded on behalf of Tarit Chakraborty, BNP+

Pawan Dhall

SAATHII

e-mail: <saathii@...>