Kerala state to pay Rs 5L to HIV victim

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Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has ordered the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 to a girl, 8, hailing from Mananthavady, who was infected with HIV following blood transfusion at government hospitals.
The commission also ordered that modern equipment for blood transfusion should be ensured at government hospitals to avoid such incidents.
The commission member K.E. Gangadharan, who issued the order, maintained that the government could not escape the responsibility for the incident. The girl, who was undergoing treatment for thalassaemia, was given blood transfusion 44 times since 2007 at government hospitals, including Wayanad District Hospital and Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.  She was detected with  HIV on July 20, 2012.
The commission order also said that the government should bear the entire treatment and education expenses of the girl who is from a financially weak background.
HIV was detected after the girl was hospitalised following fever and skin problems. The girl's parents initially refused to complain fearing social stigma. Later, they gave a memorandum to Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar.