AIDS patient dies after being turned away by Delhi hospital

A 26–year–old man died of renal failure after doctors in a government–run hospital in the Indian capital refused to treat him because he was HIV positive, a newspaper report said, December 16.

The daily "Hindustan Times" newspaper said the unnamed man was admitted with a fever at the Lok Nayak hospital in New Delhi, but that tests conducted revealed he was infected with the virus.

"His case sheet says that he was refused treatment because he was HIV positive," a doctor at the hospital, who declined to be named, told the newspaper.

"He was referred for dialysis. But doctors there turned him away because he was suspected to be HIV positive," the doctor said. "He died within two hours."

The dialysis in–charge Dr. Rajeev Kohli, however, maintains that the patient was refused treatment as his investigations were not complete.

"Resident doctors had informed me about such a patient. We could not give him dialysis because his investigations were not complete. I was not on duty on that day so I will have to check who is responsible," Dr. Kohli said.

"This is a shocking case but we have our constraints," said a senior doctor. "Most government hospitals, including Lok Nayak, do not have dedicated machines to treat HIV patients. To treat the patient properly, the hospital staff requires consumables to protect themselves. Whenever we do dialysis, it is at our own risk."

Lok Nayak hospital's medical superintendent Dr. Vinod Ramteke, however, said that this was a rare incident and turning away a patient because he was HIV positive was against the hospital's policy. "If the patient has been refused treatment on this ground it is certainly wrong. The patient rush is so much that we cannot spare the machines. I will look into the matter," he said.

According to the case sheet, the patient was admitted with fever and was tested positive for HIV. The second and third tests were negative. The final test at AIIMS was inconclusive.

Social activists say widespread stigma and discrimination forces tens of thousands of HIV/AIDS sufferers underground where they shy away from social life and hide their infection.

According to the United Nations, 5.7 million Indians are living with HIV/AIDS – the world's largest caseload.