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Patna: Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC) on Monday directed the Health department of Bihar government to pay a compensation of  Rs 50,000 within two months to an HIV+ pregnant woman Manju Devi, wife of  Vinay Paswan  of village Mangal Bigha under Deo police station in Aurangabad district, who was not only denied treatment by Aurangabad Sadar hospital lady doctor Dr Lalsa Sinha but was also misbehaved with by the doctor in May 2016.

The commission had directed Aurangabad DM to get an indepth inquiry conducted by a magistrate and a senior medical officer and submit Action Taken Report (ATR).    Dr. Ram Pratap Singh, Civil Surgeon-cum-Chief Medical Officer, Aurangabad, appeared before the Commission, on the instructions of Health Department, on Monday and submitted his report indicating that the lady doctor in question Dr. Lalsa Sinha had been found guilty of misbehaving with the HIV+ pregnant woman Manju Devi during inquiry.

The lady doctor’s plea that required medical kits and post-operative medicines were not available at Aurangabad hospital were found to be totally false during inquiry, the report said. The required kits and post-operative medicines like post exposure prophylaxis, TLE (Tenofovir, Lamivudine, Efavienz) are available at the hospital, it said. The lady doctor’s plea that she was not trained to handle HIV+ patients was also false as she had taken HSS-2015-ANC training and she worked as a lady doctor in HIV+ Sentinel Surveillance Round 2014-15, the report said adding she had been found to be ill-treating patients on previous occasions also.

The Civil Surgeon, Aurangabad,  informed BHRC that he is sending recommendation to the Health Department for initiation of departmental proceeding against the lady doctor concerned. The BHRC has directed the state health department to apprise it of the disciplinary action initiated against the lady doctor.  Health Department will also apprise the Commission of the efforts initiated for sensitization of doctors and paramedic staffs towards reception of HIV+ patients at government hospitals. The commission will hear the matter again on August 9, 2016.