E-Paper
Delhi HC directs AIIMS to treat HIV-positive woman with mouth cancer
The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to provide necessary treatment to a woman who has been an HIV positive
The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to provide necessary treatment to a woman who has been an HIV positive patient from the past 20 years and was diagnosed with mouth cancer in March this year.
Justice Mukta Gupta also asked the Delhi government to issue a curfew pass to her if the lockdown is extended beyond April 14 so that there is no inconvenience caused to the petitioner or her family members.
The court’s order comes on the plea filed by the woman who was an HIV patient and had developed mouth ulcers since 2015. The plea sought direction to AIIMS to provide her necessary treatment after AIIMS Delhi had referred her to AIIMS, Jhajjar.
According to her plea, before she could visit AIIMS, Jhajjar with the relevant reports, she received a message that her appointment date has been cancelled because the hospital had been notified as an exclusive hospital for treatment of coronavirus patients.
Following this, she visited AIIMS, Delhi but was only examined at the OPD and no treatment was given. The plea also alleged that no date of surgery was given and she had started bleeding from her mouth, resulting in aggravation of her condition.
In a status report, AIIMS informed the court through video conferencing that she was admitted to AIIMS on April 4. She was evaluated and it was observed that in view of the nature of growth, poor general condition and anticipated poor surgical outcomes, the surgical procedure for her disease stage would be a high-risk, major, radical procedure with substantial morbidity (Subtotal Glossectomy) and she may not withstand such surgical procedure.
Following this, an opinion was sought from the radiotherapy department on April 6 which recommended definitive chemo radiation. The report also said that her tooth would be extracted and radiotherapy will be administered thereafter, to which the petitioner has agreed.
The court then said that considering the physical condition of the petitioner as well as her other ailments and if the doctor opines that performance of the surgery would be at high risk to the patient, it would not direct the doctors to take a different view.
The counsel appearing for AIIMS assured the court that the treatment will be administered to the petitioner as an in-patient and later as an out-patient by giving her definitive chemo radiation.
The court disposed of the plea and said that the petitioner be discharged only after her condition stabilises.
