Woman wrongly diagnosed with HIV 15 years ago seeks to sue hospital

[rooster59]

Woman wrongly diagnosed with HIV 15 years ago seeks to sue hospital

 

File photo : Suthida//Photo from Songkran's Facebook

 

A 23-year-old woman whose a blood test showed that she is free from HIV disease is taking legal action against a hospital that diagnosed her with the disease 15 years ago.

 

Suthida Sangsumart said she had to take antiHIV medicine since she was wrongly diagnosed and was stigmatised by the public.

 

She was speaking after having a blood test at the Thai Red Cross Society’s Anonymous Clinic on Thursday. She allowed the media to watch the test and wait with her for the results. She was accompanied to the clinic with her lawyer Songkran Achariyasab.

 

She wept when the clinic doctor revealed the results of two blood tests, confirming her belief that she was not suffering from HIV. She had previously tested at other hospitals but came to the clinic for an official result. 

 

Her father died from Aids when she was eight years old. A doctor at Suvarnabhumi Hospital in Roi Et province tested her blood at the time and diagnosed her with HIV.

 

Suthida also wanted severe disciplinary action against the doctors at the hospital. 

 

“I started taking the medicine on HIV disease since then. I had to move to Samut Prakarn province after people in my hometown disliked me because of my father’s cause of death and the doctor’s diagnosis that I had Aids,” she said.

 

It is reported that her husband did not care about the disease. She had a test again when she was pregnant at 19 years old. “I then doubted that the first test may be wrong,” she said.

 

Now that she is proved to be free of the disease, she wanted the hospital to take responsible for the mistake.

 

Reporters visited the Roi Et hospital and tried to contact its director Dr Chuchai Temtanakitpaisarn, but were informed that he was away for a meeting outside the hospital.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30317074

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-03

[thequietman]

Always at a meeting. Can't even come up with an original excuse. A nation of copiers.

[Mickmouse1]

It is  to the first time anyway.My friend who is a Celibate was WRONGLY  diagnosed with HIV P 3 YEARS AGO.She accused me of mounting her in her sleep as I am the only man who got close to her.Even though I am 100% healthy.what a <deleted> nightmare that was.?

[dcnx]

19 minutes ago, Mickmouse1 said:

It is  to the first time anyway.My friend who is a Celibate was WRONGLY  diagnosed with HIV P 3 YEARS AGO.She accused me of mounting her in her sleep as I am the only man who got close to her.Even though I am 100% healthy.what a F nightmare that was.?

Sounds terrifying.

[JohnnyBKK]

None of the actual HIV tests are 100% reliable. So none of the people diagnosted with HIV are sure 100% to have it.

[DGS1244]

Something rather strange about this story. 15 years with no intermediate test, doesn't compute. Anyone who is positive and on treatment normally has a yearly re-test to determine if the medication needs to be changed or modified. If not yearly certainly more than once in 15 years.

[RBOP]

5 minutes ago, DGS1244 said:

Something rather strange about this story. 15 years with no intermediate test, doesn't compute. Anyone who is positive and on treatment normally has a yearly re-test to determine if the medication needs to be changed or modified. If not yearly certainly more than once in 15 years.

Not entirely true. Every 6 months HIV+ve people on meds will test for Viral Load and CD4. If effective meds their Viral Load will be undetectable.   

[Borzandy]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

to sue hospital

Are you joking, you should be happy to be still alive

[michemiche]

1 minute ago, Borzandy said:

Are you joking, you should be happy to be still alive

You dont know what's like to take these medications every day !....

[williamgeorgeallen]

if i was her i would be celebrating, not litigating.

[malcoml]

So I guess this just answered the question of should I go to the hospital for a HIV test and is it accurate. 

 

God help those cheap Charlies who use the local fly by night clinics.

[al007]

Pretty awful

 

Yet another case of medical malpractice, why did the hospital do any follow up, or double checking if it well known results can be wrong !

 

If the facts are correct, of course the lady deserves compensation

 

However I doubt if she has copies of her hospital files and by now the hospital will have lost the records, and will deneigh it all

 

Chances of getting much pretty low unfortunately

[silent]

50 minutes ago, Borzandy said:

Are you joking, you should be happy to be still alive

At least be happy the village people didn't burn her at the stake when first misdiagnosed. 

[YetAnother]

hope she wins and gets big settlement

[RBOP]

54 minutes ago, Borzandy said:

Are you joking, you should be happy to be still alive

Let me clarify something for you. Having HIV is not a death sentence like it use to be 35 years ago. HIV is a manageable disease just like diabetes for example. Persons that are HIV+ve nowadays can live a normal lifespan as long as they take their meds. The stigmatism and discrimination that HIV+ve people go through is now worse than the disease itself. People really need to get education on this subject.

[al007]

The lady needs to be very careful or the hospital will sue her for defamation, if she tries to name and shame

 

 In Thailand even if you are correct you will be liable

 

 

[realenglish1]

There are people that had HIV and after a number of years on medication had been disease free  This may be the case and a defense the hospital will make I am sure of it 

 

[tonywillo]

24 minutes ago, malcoml said:

So I guess this just answered the question of should I go to the hospital for a HIV test and is it accurate. 

 

God help those cheap Charlies who use the local fly by night clinics.

Wrong. The rapid 10 minute test at clinics you imply cheap Charlie's get are accurate and have error checking if not done correctly. The issues are when a positive is obtained using the rapid test so then a blood test is performed.

I suppose you'd say the same about the pregnancy tests you can buy from the supermarket! 

[kwilco]

This is certainly not an isolated problem - it is symptomatic of the haphazard nature of healthcare in Thailand though.

 

I can cite on incident of a girl being wrongly diagnosed as being HIV positive - if she hadn't been so determined to prove them wrong, she would have been in the same situation, but she knew enough about aids transmission tp realise it wasn't possible....got a second  (and eventually third) test and proved them wrong.

this was one of the "quick test" clinics in Pattaya. Lord knows how many incorrect diagnoses they have made  IN  BOTH DIRECTIONS - there are porbably dozens of people going around thinking they are HIV infected and an equal number blithely unaware that they are HIV positive.

the whole thing is utterly disgraceful

 

 

One also wonders what sort of doctor would come to the conclusion that the girl had become infected from her father and HOW!!!!!!! - It beggars belief that this guy/woman is allowed to practice.

Edited June 3, 2017 by kwilco

[kwilco]

5 minutes ago, RBOP said:

Let me clarify something for you. Having HIV is not a death sentence like it use to be 35 years ago. HIV is a manageable disease just like diabetes for example. Persons that are HIV+ve nowadays can live a normal lifespan as long as they take their meds. The stigmatism and discrimination that HIV+ve people go through is now worse than the disease itself. People really need to get education on this subject.

quite true - but in Thailand someone has to pay for the retro-virals and the behaviour of the "victim" for years has been dictated by this mistaken diagnosis, as well as the immense social alienation that is still suffered by this person....not to mention the ever-present fear that some infection may get through. there are many medications that those with immune disorders cannot take.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, JohnnyBKK said:

None of the actual HIV tests are 100% reliable. So none of the people diagnosted with HIV are sure 100% to have it.

You don't seem to understand the nature or methodologies of testing  - and neither did the Doctor by the sound of things....an initial test would be followed up by further testing after that one can be sure BEYOND Doubt whether a patient is infected or not.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, Borzandy said:

Are you joking, you should be happy to be still alive

Why? There was no life threatening disorder - yet the hospital said there was.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, Borzandy said:

Are you joking, you should be happy to be still alive

as said before - there was no life threatening disorder - apart from the medication itse4lf and she has been robbed of a normal adolescence and all her growing up years have been taiunted by the stigma of a disease she didn't even have.

[kwilco]

14 minutes ago, realenglish1 said:

There are people that had HIV and after a number of years on medication had been disease free  This may be the case and a defense the hospital will make I am sure of it 

 

No there aren't - the viral level can become so low it is difficult to detect with an ordinary HIV test, but is medication is withheld then the virus would rise again.

Serious testing would reveal if the girl was HIV positive regardless.

[Kabula]

Hmmmm....no second opinion in a timely fashion.

 

I doubt a competent trial lawyer would even take this case.

 

She probably already tried to retain a lawyer and they told her to go to the media and hopefully the hospital with the negative news will make a small offer to make her go away.

[aslimversgwm]

1 hour ago, DGS1244 said:

Something rather strange about this story. 15 years with no intermediate test, doesn't compute. Anyone who is positive and on treatment normally has a yearly re-test to determine if the medication needs to be changed or modified. If not yearly certainly more than once in 15 years.

Exactly what I was thinking. Yearly tests are practically mandatory if not more frequently firstly to see if the virus is being successfully contained and secondly to check for adverse side affects. 

[Laza 45]

1 hour ago, DGS1244 said:

Something rather strange about this story. 15 years with no intermediate test, doesn't compute. Anyone who is positive and on treatment normally has a yearly re-test to determine if the medication needs to be changed or modified. If not yearly certainly more than once in 15 years.

Yes.. my thoughts exactly.. 

[kwilco]

people are guessing at "facts" now.

the problem with suing a hospital is that it can be nigh-on impossible a due to the almost total legal immunity granted to doctors in Thailand and the hospital will do everything in their power to avoid  bad publicity or admit any liability.

however the fact that she has been receiving drugs for 15 years would suggest that either the hospital has been supplying her without due testing, cocked up big time on procedure or is trying to do a massive cover-up.

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

if i was her i would be celebrating, not litigating.

She can do both you know.I suppose you'd just let things be eh?

[uptoyoumyfriend]

something doesnt pan out here.15 years ago very few thais got  hiv meds.they only got them when the cd4 count went below 350.that that takes quite a while.at the same time the viral load was checked against the cd4 count.today there is a change in policy and they want everybody  positive on meds to make sure they don't pass it on .