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KGH cold-shoulders HIV +ve woman, child
TNN, Aug 24, 2010, 04.48am IST
VISAKHAPATNAM: In a shocking incident, a HIV-positive woman and her new-born baby girl were allegedly `ignored' and given a raw deal by the doctors and paramedical staff at King George Hospital (KGH) here.
The incident came to light after the woman told about her plight to other patients of a nearby ward. The 25-year-old woman was admitted to KGH by a voluntary organisation on Aug 20 and she gave birth to a baby girl the very next day. While the baby is doing well, the doctors at the gynaecology ward stopped attending to the woman and the baby after coming to know about her HIV-positive status.
Shockingly, the woman's husband, a daily wage worker, has also left her after learning that she was afflicted with the deadly virus. "Neither have my parents nor in-laws come to see me. I don't want to live any more as no one is ready to help me and my child," she cried. She belongs to Palasa in Srikakulam district.
A pregnant woman hailing from Bhimili, who is also HIV-positive, said the doctors and the staff were not attending to them. "We do not know how we contracted the virus. But the doctors and the society continue to shun us for no fault of ours," she complained.
When contacted, KGH superintendent Santaram said an enquiry has been ordered following complaints from HIV-positive patients. "We are trying to make every medication available for them. The mother and the child would be discharged from the hospital soon as they are doing well," he claimed.
Meanwhile, swine flu scare has gripped the pregnant women in KGH. With the authorities setting up an exclusive swine flu ward close to the gynaecology ward, all the pregnant women are worried about the welfare of their children.
"How could they be so foolish to set up the swine flu ward next to the gynaecology ward? We are all worried," a woman, who is into her advanced stages of pregnancy, said. A six-bed swine flu ward has been set up and already two pregnant women of Vizianagaram suspected to be carrying the H1N1 virus were admitted there.
Sources said nearly 50 mothers of new-born babies and pregnant women in the gynaecology ward have been living in fear ever since the swine flu ward came into being. However, the authorities of KGH said the special ward was established since the communicable diseases hospital where swine flu cases are being treated does not have full-fledged facilities to treat pregnant women infected with H1N1 virus.
Santaram told TOI that a decision to set up the special ward was taken only after consultations with the higher authorities. Allaying fears of the women, he said: "The patients in the gynaecology wing need not worry as we have taken every precaution."
Swine flu has so far claimed six lives in the city and the north coastal districts in the last one month
Read more: KGH cold-shoulders HIV +ve woman, child - Hyderabad - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...#ixzz0xTjNb3VX
TNN, Aug 24, 2010, 04.48am IST
VISAKHAPATNAM: In a shocking incident, a HIV-positive woman and her new-born baby girl were allegedly `ignored' and given a raw deal by the doctors and paramedical staff at King George Hospital (KGH) here.
The incident came to light after the woman told about her plight to other patients of a nearby ward. The 25-year-old woman was admitted to KGH by a voluntary organisation on Aug 20 and she gave birth to a baby girl the very next day. While the baby is doing well, the doctors at the gynaecology ward stopped attending to the woman and the baby after coming to know about her HIV-positive status.
Shockingly, the woman's husband, a daily wage worker, has also left her after learning that she was afflicted with the deadly virus. "Neither have my parents nor in-laws come to see me. I don't want to live any more as no one is ready to help me and my child," she cried. She belongs to Palasa in Srikakulam district.
A pregnant woman hailing from Bhimili, who is also HIV-positive, said the doctors and the staff were not attending to them. "We do not know how we contracted the virus. But the doctors and the society continue to shun us for no fault of ours," she complained.
When contacted, KGH superintendent Santaram said an enquiry has been ordered following complaints from HIV-positive patients. "We are trying to make every medication available for them. The mother and the child would be discharged from the hospital soon as they are doing well," he claimed.
Meanwhile, swine flu scare has gripped the pregnant women in KGH. With the authorities setting up an exclusive swine flu ward close to the gynaecology ward, all the pregnant women are worried about the welfare of their children.
"How could they be so foolish to set up the swine flu ward next to the gynaecology ward? We are all worried," a woman, who is into her advanced stages of pregnancy, said. A six-bed swine flu ward has been set up and already two pregnant women of Vizianagaram suspected to be carrying the H1N1 virus were admitted there.
Sources said nearly 50 mothers of new-born babies and pregnant women in the gynaecology ward have been living in fear ever since the swine flu ward came into being. However, the authorities of KGH said the special ward was established since the communicable diseases hospital where swine flu cases are being treated does not have full-fledged facilities to treat pregnant women infected with H1N1 virus.
Santaram told TOI that a decision to set up the special ward was taken only after consultations with the higher authorities. Allaying fears of the women, he said: "The patients in the gynaecology wing need not worry as we have taken every precaution."
Swine flu has so far claimed six lives in the city and the north coastal districts in the last one month
Read more: KGH cold-shoulders HIV +ve woman, child - Hyderabad - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...#ixzz0xTjNb3VX