Shunned mum may sue hospital for Bt30 million over false HIV diagnosis

[snoop1130]

Shunned mum may sue hospital for Bt30 million over false HIV diagnosis

By Kornkamol Aksorndej

 

 

A state hospital may face a Bt30 million compensation lawsuit from a woman whose life was turned upside down because it allegedly diagnosed her inaccurately as being HIV-positive.

 

Maneerat Konghom, who has endured years of discrimination and social expulsion because of the wrong diagnosis, is in fact HIV-free.

 

“Her three children are also affected. As their mother is said to be HIV-positive, other kids don’t play with them. They have lived a bitter life,” lawyer Ronnarong Kaewpetch said on Thursday in his capacity as the chair of a network fighting for social justice.

 

He has stepped forward to help Maneerat, who at one point considered suicide over the false HIV-infection report.

 

On Thursday, he also accompanied this 31-year-old woman to the Anonymous Clinic of the Thai Red Cross Society so that she could undergo detailed blood tests. Using three methods, the tests confirmed she is free from HIV.

 

Maneerat was told she had caught HIV in 2014 while at a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat province to deliver her youngest child. From that time on, she has been shunned by others. Her oldest child refused to allow her to bring him to his school because of taunts his friends made about her reported HIV status.

 

In the end, she separated from her husband and moved to another province to avoid intense discrimination.

 

In 2018, she had a blood test at another hospital in Phitsanulok province and was told she did not have an HIV infection.

 

While that was good news, it also made her realise how much she had lost due to an inaccurate diagnosis.

 

Maneerat, therefore, has lodged complaints with many agencies. She has also denied claims that the Nakhon Si Thammarat-based hospital had already paid her Bt50,000 to settle the matter.

 

Ronnarong said he would help Maneerat petition the Public Health Ministry in search of an explanation.

 

“We will also consider a lawsuit for compensation. If this lawsuit is filed, the compensation amount should be around Bt30 million,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationthailand.com/news/30372298

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand  2019-07-04

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[nobodysfriend]

make them pay the 30 mio for her ... fair enough .

 

[ChipButty]

Go for 50 mil

[The Deerhunter]

She never went for a second opinion for

 4 years???  There must be a word for that.!

[HHTel]

1 hour ago, The Deerhunter said:

She never went for a second opinion for

 4 years???  There must be a word for that.!

Yes, it's called 'trust'.  Unless there is some evidence, why would you not trust your doctor. It's not a regular procedure to get a second opinion of a diagnosis.  Most people believe their doctor.  Imagine every visit to the doctor is followed by a second opinion!!

[ianezy0]

1 hour ago, The Deerhunter said:

She never went for a second opinion for

 4 years???  There must be a word for that.!

Yes.....The word is late

Edited July 5, 2019 by ianezy0

[RichardColeman]

30 million seems s little excessive to me, as it equates to about 250 years plus of a Thai salary !

[Cereal]

44 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Yes, it's called 'trust'.  Unless there is some evidence, why would you not trust your doctor. It's not a regular procedure to get a second opinion of a diagnosis.  Most people believe their doctor.  Imagine every visit to the doctor is followed by a second opinion!!

Any respectable doctor will suggest getting a second opinion and or doing a second test for confirmation.

[watcharacters]

55 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Yes, it's called 'trust'.  Unless there is some evidence, why would you not trust your doctor. It's not a regular procedure to get a second opinion of a diagnosis.  Most people believe their doctor.  Imagine every visit to the doctor is followed by a second opinion!!

 

I don't cast aspersions on the lady but I'd hope others would learn from this that a second opinion can often be worthwhile.     Doctors make their share of mistakes as well as  does the rest of the medical staff.

 

What's not clear to me is how all those in contact with the lady learned of her diagnosis.    Did she broadcast it across social media?    Not always a wise thing to do.

 

47 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Yes, it's called 'trust'.  Unless there is some evidence, why would you not trust your doctor. It's not a regular procedure to get a second opinion of a diagnosis.  Most people believe their doctor.  Imagine every visit to the doctor is followed by a second opinion!!

Any respectable doctor will suggest getting a second opinion and or doing a second test for confirmation.

****

Does this commonly apply to Thailand when the matter of "face" can rear its ugly head?

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by watcharacters

[Gulfsailor]

False positives do happen with any test, so it’s prudent to always test again. 

My daughter volunteers at the local hospital. Yesterday she helped out with doing rapid HIV/syphilis tests and handing out free condoms. People who tested negative got 10 or so free condoms. The ones who tested positive got to go home carrying a full box of 100 free condoms. Pretty easy to spot the unfortunate few that way!

[potless]

54 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

I don't cast aspersions on the lady but I'd hope others would learn from this that a second opinion can often be worthwhile.     Doctors make their share of mistakes as well as  does the rest of the medical staff.

Definitely yes. I was recommended for a prostate biopsy that I didnt need. My girlfriend went to a hospital with a severe headache and muscle pain and was told to go home and take paracetamol. I took her to another hospital where tests showed she had a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic. By that time she couldnt even walk. 

Edited July 5, 2019 by potless

[Assurancetourix]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

30 million seems s little excessive to me, as it equates to about 250 years plus of a Thai salary !

Which thai salary ?

 

Millions thai people  earn more than 50,000 baht each month

 

[FarmerJoe]

If she gets the money, the ex is gonna be banging on the door real quick. Along with the friends that shunned her.

[Mavideol]

4 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

She never went for a second opinion for

 4 years???  There must be a word for that.!

maybe it starts with capital S and finish with capital D

[dcnx]

3 hours ago, HHTel said:

Yes, it's called 'trust'.  Unless there is some evidence, why would you not trust your doctor. It's not a regular procedure to get a second opinion of a diagnosis.  Most people believe their doctor.  Imagine every visit to the doctor is followed by a second opinion!!

I get a 2nd opinion on everything here including dental work. More than half of the time one of them tells me something different.

[dcnx]

2 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

I don't cast aspersions on the lady but I'd hope others would learn from this that a second opinion can often be worthwhile.     Doctors make their share of mistakes as well as  does the rest of the medical staff.

 

What's not clear to me is how all those in contact with the lady learned of her diagnosis.    Did she broadcast it across social media?    Not always a wise thing to do.

 

47 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Yes, it's called 'trust'.  Unless there is some evidence, why would you not trust your doctor. It's not a regular procedure to get a second opinion of a diagnosis.  Most people believe their doctor.  Imagine every visit to the doctor is followed by a second opinion!!

Any respectable doctor will suggest getting a second opinion and or doing a second test for confirmation.

****

Does this commonly apply to Thailand when the matter of "face" can rear its ugly head?

 

 

 

Not here. Many doctors get short with you if you even ask too many questions.

[Sheryl]

Any respectable doctor will suggest getting a second opinion and or doing a second test for confirmation.

A second opinion no unless there is something atypical between the test results and clinical picture. But confirmatory test is absolutely mandatory. In addition once confirmatory test is possible viral liad should be done before starting treatment. In the very rare case if a false positive on confirmatory test it will be caught when VL comes back nil.

There are many pieces missing in the story e.g.

did she ever have a confirmatory test -- if so what type and result; if not why.

Was she placed on treatment? If so why was VL not done first? Or did she stop coming for follow up before this could be done? (Not unusual behavior in a Thai).

Etc

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Almer]

6 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

She never went for a second opinion for

 4 years???  There must be a word for that.!

Ashamed is what i think, remember thais need to keep face

[geoffbezoz]

30 million should be 300 million.  The incompetent health officials ruined her family life, ruined her married life, ruined her children's lives due to utter incompetence. This lady deserves anything she can get out.

[Vacuum]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Her oldest child refused to allow her to bring him to his school because of taunts his friends made about her reported HIV status.

How would his friends know about the diagnosis?

[hansnl]

7 hours ago, HHTel said:

Yes, it's called 'trust'.  Unless there is some evidence, why would you not trust your doctor. It's not a regular procedure to get a second opinion of a diagnosis.  Most people believe their doctor.  Imagine every visit to the doctor is followed by a second opinion!!

But, probably, the hospital should have done a second test as is normal in the case of HIV, the woman should have asked for a second test, so both are wrong.

The millions asked, would come, ultimately, out of the taxpayer's pockets, and the amount would clearly not be beneficial to the patients of the state hospital.

Edited July 5, 2019 by hansnl

[jinners]

"Had to move to another province and shunned". What vile narrow minded people. This is a real problem in Thailand where the bigoted views of the uneducated choose to discriminate against those unfortunate enough to be infected and is the cause of many deaths.

[GarryP]

5 hours ago, FarmerJoe said:

If she gets the money, the ex is gonna be banging on the door real quick. Along with the friends that shunned her.

Good and I hope she tells them all to eff off or drop dead.

[TEFLKrabi]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

30 million seems s little excessive to me, as it equates to about 250 years plus of a Thai salary !

Think you could probably say the same in the home of suing, the US. 

[Sheryl]

But, probably, the hospital should have done a second test as is normal in the case of HIV, the woman should have asked for a second test, so both are wrong.
The millions asked, would come, ultimately, out of the taxpayer's pockets, and the amount would clearly not be beneficial to the patients of the state hospital.

If you read the hospital's account in other thread running they DID do another test and when that was positive scheduled additional, more costly ones which she failed to keep appointments for.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[FarFlungFalang]

18 hours ago, Vacuum said:

How would his friends know about the diagnosis?

We just learnt of the wife's daughters pregnancy from the local private doctor.Does that help answer your question?When I raised this irregularity with the wife I received the usual blank stare!

[justin case]

death of person in thailand = +- 30.000 baht, unless you are rich & famous

 

 

[The Deerhunter]

On 7/5/2019 at 3:18 PM, ianezy0 said:

Yes.....The word is late

Something that life changing and life-threatening, I would definitely have a second opinion on. It's not like she was told she had an ingrown toenail.