Asia

Indian Court Penalises Hospital for Wrongly Declaring Man as HIV Positive

The court said that if the fine was not paid within one month, the hospital would be asked to pay an additional annual interest of six percent on the amount. The hospital, however, said they would appeal against the judgment in the state consumer forum, as this was a mere documentation error.
Sputnik

New Delhi (India): A consumer court in India has fined a top medical research hospital in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand for erroneously declaring in a medical report of a man that he was HIV inflicted. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh city was fined $864 for handing over a wrong diagnosis report, Indian news channel Times Nowreported.

The court said that the hospital had "delivered inadequate services, thereby causing mental trauma to the complainant".

READ MORE: Half-Hearted Government Support Puts Millions at Risk for HIV in India

It asked the hospital to pay the fine within a month to the aggrieved patient, whose name was withheld, a resident of Bhagwanpur town in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Indian Villagers Drain Their Only Lake After Woman With HIV Drowns in It
According to the media report, the man had visited a hospital to get an injury treated in July 2014, but when it was found that his blood was not clotting properly, he was referred to AIIMS Rishikesh.

At AIIMS, he was told that he was HIV positive. After his health deteriorated, he was admitted to another hospital where he was pronounced HIV negative. It was then that the man filed a complaint with the district consumer court.

READ MORE: Kolkata to Host India’s first Cafe Run by HIV+ Teens

He filed complaints against two hospitals — the Dr BBS Saini Kalawati Hospital and AIIMS Rishikesh.

A spokesperson of AIIMS Rishikesh said that the test result was a documentation error and that they would appeal against the judgment in the state consumer forum.

 

Discuss