Mumbai: A fisherman who was admitted in KEM hospital, was made to leave the hospital as he was afflicted by HIV positive, according to a social activist.

"The 17-year-old youth, who was an HIV patient, had gone to the toilet on April 30 and when he came back, the hospital nurses refused to allow him inside the ward and later declared that he was absconding," social activist Jatin Desai said.

The truth however was that the boy spent whole night outside the hospital because he was denied entry, Desai said.

However the youth was later readmitted yesterday and is being treated in a "special room".

The Dean of hospital N E Yeolekar when contacted denied that there was any discrimination because the youth was afflicted with HIV positive and said the incident happened because of misunderstanding.

"There was no discrimination because the patient was HIV positive. It just happened because of misunderstanding as the patient was alone. He was not rejected because of his HIV status. However a team of doctors will conduct an inquiry into the incident," Yeolekar said.

The youth hailing from Valsad district of Gujarat was arrested by Pakistan's marine security in Karachi along with other fishermen when their boat strayed into Pakistani waters.

He was then put into juvenile jail in Pakistan where his health continued to deteriorate. The Pakistan government released him on Wednesday last after which he was brought to KEM hospital where he was admitted.

His problem became more serious when the hospital authorities conducted tests and found him to be HIV positive.
Source : PTI