Hospital shuts door on HIV+ expectant woman

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Hospital shuts door on HIV+ expectant woman

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service/ Fatehabad, October 13

Close on the heels of an expectant woman losing her baby to the alleged greed of

an auxiliary nurse midwife in Community Health Centre, Bhuna, two expectant

women were refused delivery facilities in Fatehabad.

Though the health authorities have been assigning different reasons for not

providing delivery facilities to the two women, the kin, from very poor families

in both cases, have sent their complaints to the state government and the

district authorities.

In the first case, doctors in the general hospital, Fatehabad, allegedly

developed cold feet on learning that the woman, who came for delivery, had an

HIV positive status, while in the second case, an expectant woman could not get

delivery facilities in two hospitals in the district.

In the second case, Surinder Singh, elder brother of the woman's husband, has

alleged that his sister-in-law was denied delivery facilities only because

doctors at the CHC, Bhuna, wanted him to withdraw a complaint made to Health

Minister Geeta Bhukkal earlier in some other case, which he refused.

Suman, wife of Sonu, a construction labourer, who was shifted to the CHC, Bhuna,

after she had labour pains late in the evening on October 11, said a complaint

in the shape of an affidavit had been given by Sonu's brother Surinder to

various authorities.

She was shifted to the CHC again yesterday as doctors had told the family to

bring her the next morning.

However, after keeping the woman for a few hours, the doctors informed the

family to take her to the general hospital, Fatehabad, as it was case of

obstetrics delivery.

Showing copies of a complaint given to the Health Minister in August this year,

Surinder alleged that the attitude of the health authorities in the CHC was

pathetic, when his wife was expecting a baby two months ago.

He alleged that when the family took Suman to the general hospital in Fatehabad,

doctors did not care to examine the patient and told them to take her to Hisar

or Agroha.

He alleged that despite the free ambulance facility provided by the state

government, the family was made to pay for transportation from Bhuna to

Fatehabad.

" We have been treated shabbily by doctors only because we are poor, " Surinder

said in a choked voice.

Family members of Suman were, however, all praise for Dr Dolly Gambhir, a

medical officer in the general hospital, who accompanied the family to the

medical college at Agroha merely on humanitarian grounds, though she had

completed her duty hours.

In the other case, doctors allegedly refused to entertain a case of delivery as

the woman was found to be HIV positive.

The woman, a resident of local Baghichi Mohalla, was later shifted to the PGIMS,

Rohtak, by her kin.

The Civil Surgeon, Dr OP Arya, confirmed having received complaints and said he

was conducting an inquiry.

He said in Suman's case, the doctors in the general hospital had told him that

she suffered from high blood pressure and hence conducting a caesarian at

Fatehabad was not safe.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20101014/haryana.htm#2