SAMBALPUR: 

The body of an HIV-positive patient was left abandoned for over 12 hours at the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Odisha’s Sambalpur district.

The hospital staff was reportedly fearing infection from touching the body.

“After the patient’s death, we informed the police as he was destitute. Police should have taken the body and kept it in their custody for 72 hours for any of his relatives to claim it. We also called a meeting to enquire about the matter,” VIMSAR Superintendent Jaysree Dora said on Monday.

According to Ms Dora, the patient came to the hospital with a serious eye condition and was given initial treatment but he died on Sunday.

“We are enquiring about any negligence that might have taken place and how long the body was left on the bed and not shifted. But, at the same, it was the responsibility of the police and not of the hospital authorities to look for the destitute patient’s relatives,” she said.

The body was later shifted to the mortuary at the hospital.

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SAMBALPUR: HIV positive people under the banner of ‘Network of Positive People, Sambalpur’ have come out in support of VIMSAR dental surgeon PK Swain, accused of performing surgery on an afflicted patient without following protocol. The people on Saturday submitted a memorandum to the District Collector, addressed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik demanding to end the inquiry going on against Swain. 

On October 28, Swain had conducted the surgery of an HIV positive patient at the dental wing of the hospital. However, he was accused of not following set protocols for the surgery. Following the incident, on October 30, a five-member team was formed to probe the alleged violations. Hospital sources informed that the inquiry is in progress and the team is yet to submit is report.

Founder member and secretary of ‘Network of Positive People, Sambalpur’ Amarendra Behera said, “I have been witnessing cases where HIV positive patients are denied any kind of surgery in VIMSAR. The doctors here usually refer such patients to other hospitals. The HIV positive patients are also being subjected to discrimination since they are afraid to disclose their identity owing to social stigma associated with the disease.” 

Under such circumstances, the surgeon, who performed surgery on an HIV positive patient on humanitarian grounds, deserves to be commended for his act. But instead, some people are trying to malign his image and the hospital authorities have initiated an inquiry against him which is unjust, he said.

Behera said the surgeon had taken all precautions while operating upon the patient. Besides demanding termination of inquiry against the doctor, the organisation asked the government to act against those who hatched a conspiracy to blame the surgeon. Moreover, they have urged the Chief Minister to take steps to felicitate the surgeon at the state capital on World AIDS Day for his noble act.

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Bhubaneswar/Sambalpur: Odisha Health Minister N K Das has said that a probe has been ordered into the alleged violation of protocol in the surgery of an HIV positive infected patient by the dental wing of VIMSAR in Burla.

The Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla has set up a committee to be headed by the HoD of the Tuberculosis and Chest department, to probe into the alleged violation of protocol in the surgery of an HIV positive infected patient by the dental wing of the hospital.

“Action will be taken against the person if there is any violation in the protocol for the HIV patients,” the minister said on Wednesday.

Superintendent of VIMSAR, Lalmohan Nayak on Wednesday said life of no other patient was put to any risk in the process, though the committee will find out if there were any lapses by the operating surgeon. “The Head of the Department (HOD) of Tuberculosis and Chest, Prabhati Dutta will head the probe team and would submit the report to the government,” said Nayak.

Nayak also said that the Department of Dentistry which was closed for fumigation after the alleged violation of protocol in surgery of an HIV positive patient was reopened on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the assistant professor of Department Dentistry, VIMSAR, PK Swain, who performed the surgery on the HIV positive patient on October 28, said that he did the surgery on “humanitarian ground” and did not put “any life at risk” in the process.

Swain said the patient was admitted in the surgery ward of the hospital on October 13 and he had finalised October 28 for his Inter Maxillary Fixation (IMF). The patient came for the surgery to the Department of Dentistry on October 28.

“I checked all his report but did not find the HIV screening report. Subsequently, I asked him for HIV screening. He also underwent screening and brought the report, from which I could know that he was HIV positive. I immediately informed the authority about the patient. They told me to send the patient after prescribing some medicines,” Swain said.

“But my conscience prevented me from sending back the patient without surgery. Had I sent back the patient without surgery, the problem of the patient would have aggravated.

Hence, I performed the surgery on him”, he said. Swain claimed that he followed all the precaution while performing the surgery on the HIV positive patient. Swain denied the allegation that he used the same instruments, which were used for the surgery of the HIV positive patient, for surgical procedures of other patients.

He said dental extraction of two other patients was conducted after the operation on the HIV positive patient was performed.

“These two operations were conducted at separate chairs and separate cabins. There is no risk for the patients, who were operated after the HIV positive patient,” he said.

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