 | | | | ||||
|  [
Index
] | ||||||
 | |||||||
| | | | | |||
The Full Enquiry On The HIV Homemaker Should Include Other Cases Of HIV-Contamination Statement by Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Vice-Chairman and MP for Kepong after the confirmation of another patient receiving HIV-tainted blood. 20 May 2000 | |||||||
| Ahomemaker, Bashah Mustaffa, 47, received HIV-tainted blood at Jitra Hospital, Kedah, Malaysia, last month, prompting the Cabinet and the male donnor, 29, to apologise. The Health Ministry has formed a team to investigate the incident. Meanwhile, Bashah has sued the authorities for compensation of RM100 million. The wife of a 39-year-old Felda, Malaysian land resettlement scheme, settler died in September 1999 because of AIDS. The settler, who elected to remain anonymous, claimed that she received HIV-tainted blood during delivery of a son at the Raub Hospital, Pahang, Malaysia. Pahang Medical and Health Services director Dr Khoo Soo Teck confirmed this, saying that the blood was given during the first stage of the test. The second stage showed it to be positive. The son has been an HIV carrier, presumably owing to breast-feeding. Apparently, disciplinary action was taken on two staff members at the hospital. The Acting Health Minister Datuk Dr fong Chan Onn, who is also the Human Resources Minister, has said that the hospital procedures dealing with blood products are being tightened and that a report had been forwarded to the Cabinet. Just as similar cases in other countries like USA, France and Australia, the Government | |
is under pressure from the public to do something about it. Let us have the truth. It is true that the tests on HIV antibody in a patient may be posititve betweet two weeks to several months. During the window period, the time for HIV antibody to form after the patient's exposure to the virus, more stringent measures are needed. We have proposed that the report of the full enquiry is presented not only to the Cabinet but also to Parliament as a white paper for debates. We believe that this report should include the Felda settler's wife and her HIV son. Whether or not the latter case is revealed from Raub Hospital, the Health Ministry would have to look into it. It is not sufficient to announce the review of blood donation, screening, and transfusion procedures. The Ministry have to investigate all suspected cases in the country. Because of the penchant for news, the mass media may not have time to verify the details of the cases. The Government must clear the doubts on the veracity of each claim. While waiting for the Government to take concrete steps to remedy the sickness in HIV screening prosecures including the attitude of some hospital employees, the furore rages on. This shows the ravages of AIDS pandemic.
Dr Tan Seng Giaw | |||||
| | | | | ||||
 | | |||||||
| [ Home | Political | Medical | Personal ] | Article #182 | |||||||
| [ Recent | Archives | Forum | Feedback ] | [
Index
]
| | | | |
| | ||
