Patients, kin share their experiences with DC on treatment
Stanley Hospital. (Photo: DC/File)
Chennai: Ramani (name changed) was one of the few patients who was sent away after contracting Hepatitis at the Government Stanley Hospital, according to Aam Aadmi Party leaders.
She says, “The doctors at Stanley stopped the kidney transplantation programme and asked me to continue dialysis as I had problems in my lungs. I later learnt that I was infected with the Hepatitis C virus and that was why the transplantation programme was cancelled.”
Her husband Velu (name changed), a fisherman and a coolie in Thoothukudi, says, “My wife underwent 19 dialysis sessions at the Tiruvnelveli GH, after which she was referred to Stanley for the kidney transplantation. After undergoing 22 dialysis between May 26 and July 16, we were told that Ramani’s lung had filled with mucus and so transplantation could not be done. They asked us to continue dialysis throughout her life. But, when we approached the Thoothukudi GH we were told that we should go to the Tirunelveli GH. They did perform one session of dialysis though. After undergoing the preliminary tests at the Tirunelveli Government Hospital, which is usually done before dialysis, the officials sent us back as Ramani had a virus and doing dialysis there would spread the virus to others too.”
The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday demanded that all those patients who received dialysis at Stanley Hospital for six months following the recent spread of Hepatitis C among dialysis patients at the hospital be called back.
At a press conference here, the party showed a video recording of one of the patients’ relative who was sent away from Stanley hospital for reasons that were unclear, but later diagnosed with Hepatitis C at another government hospital and refused treatment.The issue has raised concerns of a possible cover up by the hospital on how many such patients who had the virus were sent away from the hospital and who must be around spreading it to several others.
Though doctors across the board said that there was no need to call back the patients as every dialysis unit was supposed to conduct a Hepatitis test before admitting the patient, it is unclear how many follow the norms.
According to Jayaram of AAP, there was a patient at the Stanley Hospital who was not tested for Hepatitis for two consequent months which is being suspected to be the index case. “Many of the patients come from poor backgrounds and therefore, we also ask for compensation for them,” he said.
He added that it was an act of medical negligence and that they were planning to file a case on Friday. “The inquiry committee has refused to meet us even though the secretary said we would be allowed to meet them. But today, moments before the press meet we were asked to come to the committee with the evidence,” Jayaram said.
Dr V. Balaraman, chief of nephrology at Kilpauk Medical College, said, “It is a very ubiquitous virus, difficult to diagnose and can be spread through the washing areas. There is a need for licencing of independent dialysis units in the state to prevent these unsafe practices.”
( Source : dc )
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