Public hospitals turn their backs on AIDS patients

22 November 2011, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Speakers at a roundtable at Prothom Alo office in the city yesterday. Prothom Alo Trust in association with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organised the event.Photo: STAR

The government must without delay ensure that HIV positive patients get treatment and care without any discrimination at the public medical facilities, speakers urged at a roundtable yesterday. The roundtable, with the theme being "Role of local administration and health authorities in HIV/AIDS prevention", was organised by Prothom Alo Trust in association with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The speakers mentioned several instances where Aids patients were denied emergency treatment. "We all know that the disease cannot spread through touch, yet we deny treating people suffering from Aids out of fear," said Dr Halida Hanum Khandaker, executive director of Confidential Approach to Aids Prevention. Dr Halida complained that, if the identity of an HIV positive patient was disclosed, the public hospitals usually preferred not to treat them. Citing an incident this year, she mentioned that she had to run from hospital to hospital with an HIV positive pregnant woman for delivery. Finally, she managed to admit the woman to a government hospital through concealing the fact that the woman was suffering from AIDS. Prof Dr Nazrul Islam of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) noted that Aids patients were even denied casual treatment in the public hospitals. "Doctors have to decide whether they want to get affected with HIV by treating the Aids patients unobserved or accept such patients for treatment by taking the necessary precautions," he said. The participants called for initiatives to motivate public servants on the matter. Abdul Basit, civil surgeon of Tangail, called for identifying the different government and non-government organisations with a view to ensuring coordination between them. Moderated by Prothom Alo Joint Editor Abdul Quayum, the roundtable was also attended by Additional Secretary of health and family planning ministry AKM Amir Hossain, Joint Secretary of parliament secretariat ASM Mahbubul Alam, UNFPA Assistant Representative Hasina Begum and National HIV/Aids line Director Dr Abdul Wahid. Representatives of organisations like WHO, Mukto Akash Bangladesh, Bandhu and Ashar Alo society were also present. AIDS is a disease caused by HIV infection, transmittable only through sexual contact, blood transfusion and from an affected mother to her unborn child.