Click to play videoJunagadh: As many as 23 children, suffering from thalassemia in Junagadh in Gujarat, have been found to be HIV positive. Angry parents have blamed government hospital authorities for infecting the children during blood transfusions. But the medical staff have denied it.
For the little kids, blood transfusions are a reality they have to live with, to stay alive. Since January, over 100 thalassemic children below the age of ten years have been getting transfusions at the Government hospital in Junagadh. But now parents allege the children have been infected with HIV by the hospital authorities.
Hospital authorities have denied the allegations though, claiming it's possible the children got infected from other sources. In a hurriedly called meeting late on Saturday, the medical superintendent said that 23 cases have been found to be positive, but they had HIV even before they arrived at the hospital for transfusion.
Dr GT Dayalu, Medical Superintendent, said, "We have been strictly following the guidelines of the NACO. There are 23 cases of children who are HIV positive."
Doctors say that relatives of thalassemic patients bring blood from blood banks and the transfusion is done at the hospital. Only an inquiry can now reveal the truth.
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