The Hindu : National : A positive pointer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 28, 2006

National

National

A positive pointer

K.V. Prasad

COIMBATORE: An HIV-positive couple, their boy child born HIV-negative, and the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital where the delivery was performed, now stand out as models in accepting HIV-positive persons.

The man, in his early thirties, and his wife, in her late twenties, from a district near Coimbatore cannot ask for more.

According to details provided by the couple to the hospital, the man and wife decided to have a child despite realising the risks . of vertical transmission of the virus (mother to child). They went in for in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

But the private hospital that had done the IVF procedure refused to take up the delivery fearing risk of infection to medical and paramedical personnel.

The couple claimed they were turned away by a few other private hospitals here.

The Dean of the hospital, T.P. Kalaniti, said it was illegal anyway to turn away HIV-positive patients. They should be provided with treatment without any discrimination.

"We took them in and performed a Caesarian section on the woman," as a regular delivery involved the risk of transmission of the virus, he said. The parents are on anti-retroviral therapy. The Dean said the adoption of the right procedures would prevent infection to medical and paramedical personnel.

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