NHRC notice to MP govt over 'refusal' to treat HIV+ woman

Terming it the "worst example of cruelty", the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today issued notice to the Madhya Pradesh government over reports that doctors at a district hospital allegedly refused to treat a woman at an advance stage of pregnancy after they found she was HIV-positive.
"Even as the woman delivered twins outside the maternity ward (of the Tikamgarh District Hospital), the hospital staff did not attend to them and as a result, the twins died half- an-hour after their birth on September 6," the NHRC said.
"It is indeed the worst example of cruelty by the doctors and hospital staff, who turned their back to a patient whose life was in danger and who was in extreme need of medical care," it added.

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the incident, the commission has issued notice to the chief secretary of the Madhya Pradesh government and sought a detailed report within four weeks, along with details of the action taken against the guilty doctors and staff of the hospital.
The commission said despite her advanced pregnancy, the woman was "referred to a hospital at Jhansi and pushed out of the maternity ward".
It also observed that the woman might have been HIV- positive, but she was in grave pain, begging for help at the doorstep of a state-run hospital and the doctors and staff, instead of showing a humane approach, pushed her out of the maternity ward, where she continued to lay writhing in pain.

"Jhansi is about 100 kms from Tikamgarh. The doctors should have been compassionate towards the woman, who was seeing her two newborns die in front of her," the NHRC said.

According to media reports published today, the 24-year- old woman from a village located at a distance of about 70 kms from the district headquarters was admitted to the hospital on September 5.
"The pathological tests conducted by the hospital were found to be positive for HIV and hepatitis. Thereafter, the hospital staff flatly refused to attend to her. The family begged the doctors to attend to her as they did not have the money to hire an ambulance to take her to Jhansi, but they did not listen," the NHRC said.

Reportedly, it was only after her newborn twins died and the family registered a complaint with the hospital authorities that she was finally admitted to the facility, it added.
Quoting from the media reports, the commission said the civil surgeon had said "no negligence was found on the part of the hospital administration. The patient was infected with HIV and we could not take the risk of allowing her into the hospital's labour room and she was referred to Jhansi".