Patient paraded with 'HIV positive' label in Guj hospital

A 40-year-old pregnant woman was today paraded with a sticker on her forehead saying 'HIV positive' at a local Government hospital where doctors refused to treat her, the victim alleged.

As angry rights activists staged a protest at Guru Govind Singh Government Hospital against the incident, the state Health Department asked the hospital's Head of Gynaecology Department Nalini Anand, another doctor Dipti Joshi and a nurse Praffula Ramani 'to go on leave'.

The woman said the incident occurred at the hospital where she had gone for blood tests as part of routine check-up.

After the blood reports came, the woman alleged doctors and staff members 'humiliated' her by sticking a label saying 'HIV positive' on her forehead and paraded her in the hospital. She claimed that the doctors refused to treat her.

Nalini Ananad 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.

The Hospital Superintendent has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The woman, who refused to remove the sticker, got support from social workers working for AIDS patients who lodged a protest with the hospital authorities.

The activists said the incident showed that the stigma attached to the disease was "very high" while the awareness level was "very low".

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