Mumbai: After an HIV positive commercial sex worker was denied treatment at the civic-run Nair Hospital, health authorities have said they would soon start a sensitisation and orientation programme for junior doctors and class III and IV employees on how to treat and interact with HIV patients.

Meanwhile, based on the patient’s inputs, the hospital authorities have identified the doctor who refused treatment and according to the dean of Nair Hospital he was “transferred out of the Dr TSS unit.”

Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean of Nair Hospital, said“(Dr Deka) is being shifted out of the department. Disciplinary action will be taken against him. He is now in a peripheral hospital, and we will be taking statements of all the medical staff and victim. We have taken cognisance that such things shouldn’t be repeated.”

Dr Shrikala Acharya, director, Mumbai AIDS Control Society (MADAC), said: “It is not fair that patients are humiliated just because they are HIV positive. To avoid such incidents in future, a special training course will soon be introduced for class III, class IV employees, and first and second year MBBS students to sensitise them and also create awareness about Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). ” “Any discrimination against HIV patients will not be tolerated and in case of complaints, stringent action will be taken against the errant medicos,” she added.

The course will be started in December for all state and civic-run hospitals. Meanwhile, the patient will undergo a surgical procedure related to her foot wound, for which she visited its Dr T.S.S. unit on November 23 but was allegedly humiliated and denied treatment. Following a report in The Asian Age on Thursday, the patient was admitted to ward number 14 in the hospital.

The surgical procedure will be done soon and the hospital will conduct tests to check if she has any other infection or disease. The hospital has agreed to give the patient diabetic dosage along with treatment for her foot free of cost. The hospital authorities took the patient’s help in identifying Dr Deka.

The patient’s name is being withheld as per a 1998 Supreme Court order that bars disclosure of HIV+ patients’ identities to protect their fundamental right of privacy and uphold doctor-patient relationships.

For awareness:

• A special training course will soon be introduced for class III, class IV employees, and first and second year MBBS students to sensitise them.
• The training is also to create awareness about Post-Exposure Prophylaxis  a short-term anti-retroviral treatment to reduce the likelihood of HIV infection after potential exposure to HIV-infected blood or sexual contact with an HIV-positive person.
• The course will be started in December for all state and civic-run hospitals.