HIV delegate denied treatment
A Nigerian man attending a major AIDS conference in Sri Lanka says the stigma on HIV in Sri Lanka is worse than many countries in Africa.
Jude Chidi Munaonye (43 years) Health educationist from Nigeria say the local hospital in Sri Lanka refused to treat him. He told BBC Sandeshaya that he took ill and was taken from one hospital to another as medical staff even refused 'eye contact' with him. He had suffered stomach pains Sunday night and was taken from his hotel in Negombo to the local hospital where staff refused to treat him, a hotel employee who rushed him for treatment said. No treatment for hours "For more than two and a half hours he was at the hospital and no one treated him," a hotel employee who rushed him to the local hospital told the media. "Some nurses were helpful, but the doctors were not keen on treating him." "As soon as I told them that I am HIV positive, the hospital staff left me and went away. No one came to treat me for hours". Jude Munaonye told the BBC. He was later transfered to the government's Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) for isolation. International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific is held in Colombo. Sri Lanka is said to be a low-prevalence country and had boated of its non-discriminatory treatment of HIV patients. Ignorance among health workers "This kind of ignorance is very bad for Sri Lanka. It was like this in Africa in early days. If people are not educated, HIV is going to spread." says the Nigerain educationist. Official figure of HIV positive patients in Sri Lanka is 886. Out of this 516 are male and 370 are female. 27 children in Sri Lanka were also diagnosed with HIV. But, it is estimated that around 5000 people in Sri Lanka are infected with HIV. 'Sri Lanka will be like Africa' "If HIV positive patients are stigmatised like this by ignorant doctors and health workers, people who contract HIV will not acknowledge. If that happens, there is the danger of AIDS spreading here like in Africa". Jude Munaonye said. IDH director Ananda Wijewickrema told AFP, they had made arrangements to treat HIV positive conference delegates and a special medical unit where the Nigerian was being cared. Sri Lanka has made arrangements to host 3,500 delegates from over 60 countries in Asia and the Pacific at the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP).