It is a very sad event to get HIV and AIDS during sexual encounters. It is extremely tragic and preventable to get HIV in hospitals from blood transfusions. Blood banks in hospitals are meant to check for contaminated blood from diseases.
The hospital can be sued millions for “Causing Bodily Harm” abroad. The victim and parents have to file for medical negligence leading to severe bodily harm at the earliest.
Delhi boy gets HIV during cancer treatment
9 Jan 2009
NEW DELHI: A 12-year-old blood cancer patient being treated at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital has been diagnosed as HIV-positive. His family has
alleged that he contracted the infection during his treatment when he received several blood transfusions and chemotherapy at the hospital.
Deepak, a lymphoblastic leukaemia patient, was undergoing treatment for the past two years at the hospital.
“He underwent a blood transfusion in November last year and his condition deteriorated in December. So, I took him to GTB for a check-up. I couldn’t believe when the doctor told me that his report was positive for HIV and Hepatitis B. He has been undergoing treatment for cancer at this hospital only and I have never got him treated at any other hospital,” said his father, Tilak Ram, who is a small-time painter in Shahdara. Deepak’s blood sample has been sent to G B Pant Hospital for a re-test.
The medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr P C Dikshit, denies responsibility. “Firstly, we have not received any complaint from the boy’s family in this regard. Secondly, it is very difficult to ascertain whether the boy contracted the infection during the blood transfusion at the hospital or not. He could have contracted the infection anywhere as he was not well and was being treated somewhere else.”
Deepak was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukaemia in January 2007 and hospitalized for nearly eight months at GTB Hospital. “He was initially being treated for tuberculosis of the lung but later I was told that he has cancer and that his treatment would continue for two years,” said Tilak Ram. “Till now, he has undergone 11 blood transfusions at the hospital. My wife and I were hoping that he would recover but this news has left us shattered. We have told him that he has some blood infection since he won’t understand what HIV infection is.” Tilak Ram has six children.
A senior doctor in the hospital said: “Deepak was undergoing chemotherapy outside. He could have contracted the infection from anywhere. It is difficult to pinpoint one source until there is a detailed investigation, and even then it will be a difficult call. This is a rare and unfortunate case.”
Though government blood banks have made their procedures very stringent to ensure that blood is HIV free, there is still a small possibility of the blood carrying the virus.
“A lot of precaution is taken while banking the blood,” says Mohammad Shaukat, joint director, blood safety, National AIDS Control Organisation. “We have various forms which a donor has to fill so that we can evaluate whether the donor is free from high-risk behaviour or not. There is though a small possibility of contracting infection from blood transfusion as the donor might be in the window period when he had donated the blood. The minimum time for the virus to be detected is at least 11 days. All blood banks follow high standards in testing for HIV but still it can’t be said that the blood is 100% HIV infection free.”
Deepak’s father is waiting for the blood test reports from GB Pant Hospital after which he says he will file a complaint against the hospital.
