No doctors for 6 HIV+ patients

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No doctors for 6 HIV+ patients

Two have gallstones, one is carrying a steel rod inside one of his legs and

three are suffering from inflamed appendix, hernia and renal calculi. But no

surgeon in Bihar is coming forward to operate on them. The reason: All of them

are HIV positive patients.

The six, four from Patna and one each from Munger and Nawadah, have been turned

down during the last six months by the district hospitals of Munger and Nawada

and even the medical college hospital in Patna.

Dr Diwakar Tejaswi, a private consultant and advisor to the Public Awareness for

Healthful Approach for Living, a non-profit outfit dedicated to spreading

awareness about health issues, is treating them at present.

He said the surgeons had refused to operate on them as they were in mortal fear

of contracting HIV. But Dr Tejaswi said there was no danger in handling them

since the patients were already on therapy.

Furnishing a brief medical history of one of the patients, he said before

contracting the disease, the patient had fractured a leg in an accident and a

steel rod was implanted in it. “Although time has come to take out the piece

of metal, no surgeon is ready to perform the operation.

Gyan Ranjan, vice-president of the Bihar Network for People Living With HIV/AIDS

Society, a non-governmental organisation, said, “When we take them to

surgeons, they agree to conduct the necessary operations. But as soon as they

get to know that the patients are HIV positive, the doctors refuse to touch

them.

But project director of the state-run Bihar State AIDS Control Society, Abhay

Kumar Singh, said, “Forward the patients to us. We will get them operated

upon.â€

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=b0293906-cbc1-4a85-a15\

3-d5b8c772803f

Dr Diwakar Tejaswi

E-mail: <diwakartejaswi@...>