Man commits suicide in hospital after learning he is HIV-positive

[Guest guest]

[Editor's comment: The Gujarat SACS should request for a coroner's

enquiry into this death. (A coroner is an official responsible for

investigating deaths, particularly those happening under unusual

circumstances, and determining the cause of death) to assess the role

of HIV disclosure practices of the New Civil Hospital (NCH) in

Surat. It appears that who ever disclosed the HIV status of the

deceased person did not follow the standard protocols and thus

responsible for criminal negligence]

Man commits suicide in hospital after learning he is HIV-positive

Express news service. March 08, 2008.

Surat, March 7 A 35-year-old youth from Maharashtra undergoing

treatment at the New Civil Hospital (NCH) at Surat, committed suicide

in the hospital ward by hanging himself in the bathroom on Friday

afternoon. He took the extreme step after learning that he was HIV-

positive.

According to hospital sources, Sandeep Sonar, a farm labourer by

profession and a resident of Nandurbar district in Maharashtra came

to Surat with his younger brother Vilash for treatment, on Wednesday

afternoon.

Sandeep got admitted in the E-0 ward. On Friday morning, the doctors

summoned his brother Vilash and told him that Sandeep has been

diagnosed as HIV +ve.

According to the police, Sandeep went into depression after learning

of his HIV status. In the afternoon, when Vilash went outside the

hospital for some work, Sandeep went inside the bathroom of the ward

and with the help of a rope, hanged himself from the ventilator.

The incident came to light when another patient went inside the

bathroom and was shocked to see Sandeep hanging.

Vilash came to know of his brother's suicide when he returned half an

hour later. The Umra police rushed to the spot after learning about

the incident and sent the body for post mortem in the same hospital.

Hospital authorities have, however, not given any statement regarding

the suicide till now.

Vilash Sonar said, " My brother was working in the fields and since a

couple of days he was complaining pain in the buttocks. He was also

complaining about some white fluid oozing out from the area. We came

to Surat, and with the help of some relatives here got him admitted

in NCH. The doctors here told us that he would undergo a minor

surgery. They took his blood and urine for tests on Wednesday, before

getting him operated and was waiting for the reports. On Friday, the

report came and the doctors told me that Sandeep was HIV positive.

When I told him about the report he was heart broken and was tense. "

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