SACS accused of discussing HIV report

October 10, 2007

AIDS body accused of discussing HIV report

Express news service, Friday , October 05, 2007

Chandigarh, October 4 In a breach of confidentiality, the State AIDS Control

Society (SACS), Chandigarh, has been accused of openly discussing the test

report of a HIV positive person during its monthly meeting.

According to Pooja Thakur, the president of Network of People Living With

HIV/AIDS, Chandigarh, her CD4 count test report was openly discussed by Dr

Kavita Chavan, Deputy Director, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, SACS.

“My CD4 count was openly discussed with 14 other counsellors. Dr Chavan also

asked me why I was not on ART (Anti-Retroviral Treatment),” said Thakur. “My CD4

count is confidential and so is my treatment modality.

How can the SACS breach a patient’s confidentiality?” she asked.

Thakur has always been open about her HIV positive status. “I felt comfortable

revealing my status. But as an HIV positive, I might have opportunistic

infections and symptoms. I don’t want the entire world

to be discussing that,” she said.

Fellow counsellors and NGO workers have been treating her more like a patient

ever since, she said. “Every time I go for a meeting they ask me if I have

started ART or not. They don’t treat me like a peer any more,” Thakur said.

She added that she wanted to wait for another six months and get a CD4 done

before deciding to begin ART. “I have been working in this field for two years

and know what is best for me. But once my report was leaked from the ART centre

in PGI OPD, I am being pressurised to begin treatment.”

NACO guidelines state clearly that only the patient has the right to reveal his

report.

Moreover, ART is only started when the patient is convinced. “We cannot start

ART if the patient is not convinced about the treatment. Once ART is started,

the patient has to be on treatment for the entire

life,” said Dr Ajay Wanchoo, Department of Internal Medicine at PGI. “Moreover,

if there has been no sudden drastic fall in the CD4 count and the patient is

healthy with no symptoms, she has the option of not opting for ART immediately,”

Dr Wanchoo said.

When contacted, Dr Kavita Chavan defended herself by saying that nothing had

been intentional. “Pooja has been so open about her status that I didn’t see any

harm in discussing this issue. Moreover, only counsellors were present in the

meeting,” Dr Chavan said.

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