Success story: Exclusive OP theatre for HIV+ patients at RIMS

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

We are glad to inform you all that the efforts FIRM had taken (in the

issue of dicrimination towards an HIV positive pregnant woman in

Kadappa, A.P.) along with many other organizations are bearing fruit.

We are happy to mail you this report.

___________

Exclusive OP theatre for HIV+ patients at RIMS

Monday June 25 2007 12:27 IST

KADAPA: District Collector M T Krishna Babu announced that efforts are being

made to setup an exclusive operation theater for HIV positive pregnant women in

Rajiv Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here.

The announcement was made in response to a story - ‘Heartless Docs Turn Away

HIV-affected Pregnant Women’ -published in this website’s newspaper on June 10.

It was about the refusal of doctors in prestigious RIMS super specialty hospital

in Kadapa to perform caesarean on Lalitha, a poor HIV+ pregnant woman from

Proddatur, when she approached them with a hope to save her unborn child from

the disease.

In response to the news item there was a public outcry and several social

welfare organisations and political parties, including TDP and Left parties,

condemned the incident and deplored the attitude of the doctors.

Kadapa district unit of the TDP lodged a complaint with the District Collector

and the State Human Rights Commission. Left parties even staged a dharna at the

district collectorate demanding an inquiry in to the incident.

Condemning the incident, FIRM, a Kerala-based NGO working with HIV positive

people lodged a complaint against RIMS with National Human Rights Commission

(NHRC).

Meanwhile, District Collector MT Krishna Babu, expressing shock over the

incident and terming it as unfortunate, ordered RIMS superintendent and OSD to

conduct an inquiry into the incident.

He lamented that even an announcement of reward for the doctors who perform

surgery on HIV patients in the recent meeting of IMA (Indian Medical

Association) had yielded no results.

“It is the duty of the doctor to to treat even HIV positive pregnant women and

any refusal will be considered seriously and if necessary cases will be booked

against the doctors,” he said while stressing the need for counselling of

doctors first.

According to him, RIMS authorities have been asked to submit a proposal for the

exclusive operation theater for HIV positive pregnant women with necessary

equipment.

Speaking to this website’s newspaper, RIMS superintendent Bhanumathi said that

an inquiry has been conducted in the incident and a report submitted to the

District Collector.

She said that on that day, the doctors had not even responded to her request and

she had advised Lalitha, the HIV positive pregnant woman, to go to Tirupati and

provided financial help of Rs 2000.

“We will take care that such incidents do not recur in RIMS in future,” she

assured. It is learnt that Lalitha, who returned to Proddatur after being

refused treatment at RIMS, got herself operated in Proddatur by a private doctor

http://www.newindpress.com/news.asp?id=IEA20070625020609

J.Rajasekharan Nair

Gen. Secretary

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Dr. A.K.Jayasree

Mobile: 09346373063

+91-0883246008

+91-0883-6570888(Direct)

e-mail: <akjayasree@...>