HIV patient seeks nod for euthanasia

A man today approached the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission (RSHRC) and sought permission for euthanasia, alleging that doctors at a government hospital here had refused to carry out an orthopaedic surgery on him as he was an HIV patient.
RSHRC chairman Justice Prakash Tatia, however, has assured him that the commission would look into the matter and arrange for his surgery as soon as possible.
According to the patient, admitted in the orthopaedic ward of M G Hospital here since June 17, the doctors had expressed the need for a surgery in his hips based on an MRI report.

"But when they learnt that I am an HIV positive after the blood test, they have been constantly avoiding the surgery. They said that the arrangement of the kit and other material related to surgery would take about a month-and-a-half to arrive," the patient alleged.
He said that he was admitted for surgery twice before but then too, he was discharged the moment doctors learnt about his being HIV positive in order to avoid surgery.
The acting superintendent of the hospital, Ajay Malviya, said that he did not have knowledge of any such issue.
"If a complaint is given to us, we will get it enquired," said Malviya.

Dinesh Joshi, the president of the Jodhpur Network for Positive People, a non-profit organisation working for the HIV positive, said that people with HIV had been facing this problem since long and warned that if the issue was not resolved, the organisation would stage a demonstration.