NEW DELHI: The Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) has recommended hospitals to conduct mandatory HIV tests on sexual assault survivors on their first visit. The recommendations come in the backdrop of the panel learning that several hospitals were not conducting HIV tests on all sexual assault survivors.
The DCW issued a notice to the health department seeking information regarding the number of cases in which HIV tests were conducted for survivors and the accused and the steps and Standard operating procedures (SOPs) being followed to prevent transmission of HIV in survivors.
The panel cited the example of Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, which reported that of the 180 medico-legal examinations conducted on survivors, HIV tests were done in only a few cases. “Hospitals like Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital and Rao Tula Ram Hospital do not even maintain data pertaining to HIV tests of rape survivors. Furthermore, follow-up HIV testing and counselling, which must be done after three and six months, is not being done for most survivors and neither the data is being maintained by hospitals,” the panel said.
It also claimed that All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rao Tula Ram Hospital, and Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital said they had no data available on follow-up tests for survivors. Only two hospitals, Acharya Shree Bhikshu Govt Hospital and Guru Gobind Singh Government Hospital from the west district, have informed that Delhi Police provided them information regarding the HIV status of the accused, the DCW said.
“Many hospitals reported a lack of SOPs being followed to maintain the confidentiality of the survivors’ identities and HIV test results,” it noted. “The commission has recommended that all hospitals should mandatorily ensure HIV testing of sexual assault survivors, at the first visit as well as follow up visits,” it added. The panel also advised hospitals to maintain data of HIV testing cards for all survivors. “A strong and robust mechanism to ensure proper preventive care and treatment of sexual assault survivors for HIV is therefore the need of the hour,” said DCW chief Swati Maliwal.
‘Tests done only on few survivors’
The panel cited the example of Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, which reported that of the 180 medico-legal examinations conducted on survivors, HIV tests were done in only a few cases. AIIMS, Rao Tula Ram Hospital, and Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital said they had no data available on follow-up tests for survivors. Only two hospitals, Acharya Shree Bhikshu Govt Hospital and Guru Gobind Singh Govt Hospital provided information regarding the HIV status of the accused