Various doctors either charge more or do not treat HIV positive people.
Bangalore: April 9, 2018
Various HIV positive patients in the city say that various doctors refuse to treat them. They also say that they have to pay more to get their treatment done.
‘I have a kidney stone. I have to get this treated through an operation. I told them that I am an HIV positive person. They have been asking me to come later. They ask us to leave and tell me that they don’t want to operate.’ said Geetha (name changed) an HIV positive patient.
Another HIV positive person who asked not to be named said, ‘I was pregnant. My mother and I went to every possible doctor in Bangalore but everyone refused to deliver my baby. At last, we found a doctor at the Victoria hospital. He delivered my child.’
Some patients also say that they have to lie that they are not HIV positive. Doctors say that certain precautions need to be taken for treating an HIV positive person.
‘A doctor with proper knowledge of how to treat an HIV positive patient will never refuse. We need to take certain measures like wearing gloves and disposing of the syringe properly.’ said Dr Vijay Prakash.
Experts say that HIV positive people face discrimination everywhere.
‘Even in a city like Bangalore, HIV is a stigma. There have been cases when children were asked to leave schools because they were HIV positive. Apart from education, awareness should be spread by visiting people’s home.’ said Chandrikanta, works with MILANA NGO.
HIV is still a stigma in society. Social activists say we need to work together to eliminate the stigma.
