In Jamnagar hospital,pregnant woman made to carry ‘HIV positive’ tag on head

Her medical examination revealed that she was in the second month of pregnancy,and since she was HIV positive,it would be advisable to abort. Accordingly,the woman,accompanied by her daughter and mother-in-law,visited the hospital on Saturday morning for the abortion.

The woman told social activists later that nurse Prafulla Ramani had pasted the label with HIV positive written on it,asking her to stand separately from the queue. It was a health activist who spotted her moving with the label and alerted his colleagues. After the blood reports came,the woman alleged,the doctors and other staffers at the hospital “humiliated” her by sticking the label on her forehead and paraded her in the hospital. She even claimed that the doctors refused to treat her.

Meanwhile,Dr Nalini described it as an “unfortunate incident” and apologised to the patient. “It should not have happened. Nobody should have behaved in such a manner,” she said.

As angry human rights activists staged a protest against the incident,the state Health Department asked Dr Nalini Anand,Dr Dipti Joshi and Nurse Prafulla Ramani “to go on leave”.

The hospital superintendent has now ordered an inquiry into the matter. State Health Secretary Ravi Saxena confirmed this,adding that a senior-level inquiry committee comprising AIDS activists,senior health officials and others,will be set up.

Activists said the incident showed that the stigma attached to the disease was “very high”,while the awareness level was “very low”.

Health officials said disciplinary action will be initiated once it is ascertained how the incident occurred and who were responsible for it.