Bihar govt stops salary, issues show cause notice to doc for wrong HIV data

The action follows reports that went viral earlier this week claiming Sitamarhi had recorded 7,400 HIV cases, including over 400 infected children, prompting public concern

The Bihar government has issued a show-cause notice and stopped the salary of a contractual doctor posted at the anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centre of Sitamarhi district hospital for allegedly sharing “incorrect data” with the media, creating confusion about a supposed spike in HIV cases, officials said on Friday.

Bihar govt stops salary, issues show cause notice to doc for wrong HIV data

The action follows reports that went viral earlier this week claiming Sitamarhi had recorded 7,400 HIV cases, including over 400 infected children, prompting public concern and a query from the Union health minister to his Bihar counterpart, Mangal Pandey.

At a joint press conference on Thursday, district magistrate Richie Pandey, Bihar State AIDS Control Society additional project director Dr N.K. Gupta, and civil surgeon Dr Akhilesh Kumar clarified that the figure reflected cumulative registrations since 2005, not recent infections.

“So far, 6,900 HIV cases have been registered at the Sitamarhi ART centre since its inception in 2005. Of them, 188 are children over the last 20 years. As of now, 4,900 people are alive and on ART,” Dr Gupta said, adding that the district had recorded only 200 new cases between April and October this year.

Civil surgeon Dr Akhilesh Kumar served a show-cause notice on Dr Haseen Akhtar, the ART medical officer, for allegedly speaking to the media without approval and providing incorrect figures. His salary has been withheld pending a decision on his response.

“Dr Akhtar has not responded to the show-cause notice as yet,” Dr Akhilesh said on Friday evening.

Contacted for comment, Dr Akhtar declined to speak on the matter.

Bihar’s adult HIV prevalence is 0.16%, which is below the national average of 0.22% (2019). Sitamarhi is among 12 priority districts identified by the National AIDS Control Organisation for intensified testing and awareness efforts.