Sindh Health Facilities Holds Prejudice Against People With HIV/AIDS
by Naba Batool
SHARES
Women, especially, had to face denial regarding admissions to hospitals as well as access to emergency wards.
Official highlights case of HIV-infected woman, who was pregnant after three miscarriages, being humiliated at Civil Hospital, Karachi
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This information was able to see the light of the day during a review meeting that was helmed by the Communicable Disease Control Directorate of HIV/AIDS in Sindh on Saturday.
The main audience of the meeting comprised of people who are in charge of the HIV treatment centers in the country. They were given the chance to be vocal about the struggles that they are facing in terms of HIV/AIDS control and a follow-up was presented by them regarding the status of HIV patients in the province.
One of the officials highlighted the issue by stating a real-life incident.
“An HIV-infected woman, who was pregnant after three miscarriages, was humiliated and derogatory remarks were passed against her being pregnant at the gynecology ward of the Civil Hospital, Karachi. She was so upset that her family took her to a private health facility for delivery. This case was highlighted at the international level and caused immense humiliation for the country.”
This meeting provided a platform for all those people who have been facing this discrimination for quite some time in the Sindh region. Dr. Kazmi went on to say that “Either they [HIV-infected people] are not admitted towards or they are humiliated for being infected with HIV. In most cases, people at the top, including medical superintendents and doctors, nurses, and paramedics, discriminate against the patients.”
This lead to a decision that more organized and appropriate training of the health care officials is needed regarding the disease and how they should treat the patients without any bias or judgment.
