Another Tamil Nadu woman accuses govt hospital of infecting her with HIV

Days after the shocking news of a pregnant woman in Virudhunagar district contracting HIV from a blood transfusion in a government hospital came to the fore, another woman in Chennai has accused the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital of infecting her with the virus during a blood transfusion she underwent at the institute in May.

The hospital's dean Dr P Vasanthamani has however denied the allegation and stated that the blood given to the woman has been found to be HIV negative.

The woman, a vegetable vendor, said that she was referred to Kilpauk Hospital by the Primary Health Centre at Mangadu for blood transfusion when she was five months pregnant. She said that she had showed the results of all the tests including for HIV which showed negative to the doctors at the Kilapuk on May 5. But, she said that she started showing symptoms of AIDS only close to the delivery. The blood test taken at the hospital showed positive for HIV on August 18, she said, adding that she had contracted the HIV during the blood transfusion but the hospital authorities denied it.

The woman said that after giving birth to her second baby in September, she wrote to State Health Minister, Health Department Secretary and the dean of the Kilpauk hospital alleging medical negligence. She also sought financial aid to meet the medical expenses.

"So far we have not received any proper reply from the authorities. I decided to speak out after the Virudhunagar incident," she told reporters here.

Responding to the charges levelled by the woman, Dr Vasanthamani said as soon as they got a complaint from her, a committee was formed and an inquiry was conducted into the matter. "The blood that we received was labelled negative. To double check, we even tested the donor again and found out that he did not carry the virus," she said. She also added that the hospital uses only disposable syringe, thus ruling out any chances of HIV spreading through syringes.

Chronology

• The woman went to Kilpauk Hospital for blood transfusion during early pregnancy. 
• Reports of tests, including HIV, showed negative on May 5. 
• She said that a AIDS test on August 18 tested positive.