Madurai

The Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the government to file a counter affidavit in a plea seeking adequate healthcare and proper compensation for a woman and her child who contracted HIV infection after blood transfusion.

In 2020, a doctor at the Primary Health Centre in Palamedu asked the woman from Vadipatti in Madurai, who was pregnant then, to undergo blood transfusion. When she was undergoing the procedure on December 21, she felt uncomfortable and the doctor at the clinic stopped the transfusion. She was then referred to Government Rajaji Hospital, where she underwent treatment and had another blood transfusion.

A few months after delivering the baby boy on December 23, she experienced weight loss and continuous fever. The results of a blood test confirmed that she and the child had HIV infection but her husband did not.

Despite petitions to the hospital dean and authorities concerned seeking action against doctors of the government hospital for negligence, no action was taken. Hence, she filed the petition seeking action against those responsible.

Justice Abdul Quddus directed Health secretary, Madurai Collector and GRH Dean to file a counter affidavit and adjourned the case to March 7.

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