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HIV Positive Mother Labelled 'Bio-Hazard' By Hospital Staff In Meerut

Callous Hospital Makes HIV Positive Mother Clean Her Own Medical Waste, Brands Her 'Bio-Hazard'
El mundo le está ganando la batalla al virus del sidaEl 30% de los infectados de sida no lo sabeEn la actualidad, hay en el mundo 8 millones de personas en tratamiento con medicamentos contra el sida, 20 veces más que en 2003.
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El mundo le está ganando la batalla al virus del sidaEl 30% de los infectados de sida no lo sabeEn la actualidad, hay en el mundo 8 millones de personas en tratamiento con medicamentos contra el sida, 20 veces más que en 2003.

A 30-year-old HIV positive mother was in for a shock when she went to a hospital to give birth to her daughter. The woman was labelled a "bio-hazard" by the doctors at the hospital, and a big sign that read "Bio Hazard +ve" was pasted on her bed along with a red AIDS ribbon. Worse, she was reportedly made to clean her own medical waste days after her delivery.

According to a report in The Times of India, the woman was admitted to the Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College on June 19 after she was scheduled for a caesarean delivery. Even as doctors delivered her baby, they prominently displayed the sign on her bed to indicate she was HIV positive, following which her medical condition was disclosed to all visiting relatives and friends.

She had been keeping the secret closely guarded for eight years after contracting the condition from her husband.

The doctors allegedly also berated her for "bringing another diseased child into the world", and refused to clean her medical waste when they cut the stitches three days after her delivery.

The shocking incident was reported to the Care Support Centre (CSC), which helps people living with HIV, who immediately dispatched its district team to the hospital. When the team reached the hospital, the sign was still on display.

"We immediately tore it off and took the authorities to task. Fearing that the issue might become too big to handle, the hospital staff rushed to control the damage," Ritu Saxena, one of the team members, told TOI.

While the doctors claimed to have apologised to the patient in a written note, the woman patient said she is now afraid her daughter will be discriminated against. The incident has now been further reported to the Anti Retro Viral Therapy Centre, LLRM by CSC.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.