An AIDS patient in West Bengal was first refused treatment by government hospitals and then chained to a hospital bed till a human rights group
An AIDS patient in West Bengal was first refused treatment by government hospitals and then chained to a hospital bed till a human rights group intervened to unshackle him, reports said Thursday.
A complaint against the Barasat hospital superintendent by the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) Wednesday finally saw Arjun Debnath of Bagda in North 24 Parganas district freed.Debnath had developed mental illness after he was diagnosed with the virus two years ago.
Following deterioration of his health during the last couple of weeks, his relatives tried to admit him to a hospital at Bagda. But he was refused admission.
Hospitals in Kolkata and Barasat also refused to treat him.
On Tuesday, locals staged a roadblock in Bagda with Debnath. The protest drew the attention of the district health authorities and he was finally admitted to Barasat Hospital in North 24 Parganas district on the outskirts of Kolkata.
But there he was kept in chains, leading to the protest by APDR.
Hospital authorities, however, said the patient was chained because of his mental imbalance.
-(IANS)
Medindia on AIDS:
Preventing the spread of HIV requires a comprehensive strategy that includes effective, sustained health education and health promotion programs. The goal of these programs is to reduce the risk of individuals becoming infected with HIV or, if already infected, infecting others.
For further information read:
http://www.medindia.com/patients/
aids/health_about.htm
