Woman dies after 'wrongly diagnosed' as HIV positive in Shimla

A 22-year-old woman from Himachal Pradesh lost her life after a private clinic in Shimla district “wrongly” diagnosed her as HIV positive, which had caused her to go into coma and resulted in her death.

A government hospital diagnosis found that she was not HIV positive.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday (August 28) said a probe by the director of the health services will be ordered into the death of the woman and a report will be submitted within a fortnight.

The matter is very sensitive and after the probe report is received, strict action will be taken against the private clinic for preparing a wrong HIV positive report. Compensation to the deceased woman’s family will be provided as per rules, Thakur said.

Raising the issue in the Assembly, Rohru Congress MLA Mohan Lal Brakta demanded strict action against the private clinic situated in the Rohru subdivision in Shimla district. He also sought adequate compensation for the 22-year-old woman’s family.

The MLA said that the woman died at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) in Shimla on Tuesday due to severe mental and emotional shock after she came to know about the “HIV positive” report.

Brakta said the woman had gone to the private clinic for a checkup due to an ailment. Her tests were conducted at the private clinic and the reports of the test was submitted to her without informing her about its contents.

She later went to the government run Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH) in Shimla for treatment where her husband was told about the report prepared by the private clinic. She was then asked to undergo fresh tests.

When the woman came to know that she has been diagnosed HIV positive by the private clinic, she went into a coma. She was then shifted to IGMC where she later died. The report of the fresh test conducted at the government hospital stated that she was not HIV positive.

(With agency inputs)