Patient’s HCV status pasted over hospital bed; kin allege privacy breach

Bareilly: A 50-year-old man undergoing treatment in the orthopedic ward of Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College (LLRM) in Meerut alleged that his Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-positive status was publicly displayed on a paper pasted above his hospital bed, despite patient confidentiality norms that prohibit disclosure of such medical information.The patient, who underwent hip surgery that allegedly failed, has been advised to undergo another operation. His family alleged that doctors demanded an additional Rs 50,000 for the procedure. His son, Ramesh (name changed), a daily wage labourer, told TOI on Wednesday that he had already arranged Rs 50,000 for the first surgery.Ramesh further alleged that doctors asked him to purchase basic medical supplies, including cotton bandages, from private shops outside the hospital.

He also claimed that doctors misbehaved with him and that repeated complaints to the authorities failed to elicit any action.Reacting to the incident, student leader at CCS University Vineet Chaprana said that publicly displaying a patient’s HCV-positive status amounted to a serious breach of medical privacy. He demanded that the administration take cognisance of the matter and initiate strict action against those responsible.RC Gupta, principal of LLRM Medical College, told TOI, “The matter isn’t in my cognisance. We will look into it.”