Dhading, November 11

It has been learnt that a doctor in Dhading District Hospital refused to perform a post-mortem on the body of an HIV patient.

Thirty-seven-year-old Kopila Shrestha, an HIV patient, of Nilakantha Municipality-5, Dhading, died while being rushed to the hospital for treatment after she consumed pesticide on Friday morning.

After her death, Area Police Office, Khanikhola, had sent the body to the district hospital for post-mortem, but according to the victim’s husband Shankar Shrestha, the doctor refused to conduct the post-mortem. “When inquired, we told the doctor that she was an HIV patient. Then the doctor refused to conduct the post-mortem and asked us to take the body to Kathmandu-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital,” the husband shared.

“Though the body remained at the hospital till Saturday evening. Then we took the body to Kathmandu on an ambulance after the hospital and administration managed necessary diesel,” he added.

Dr Puskar Panta at the district hospital, however, argued that they did not have the necessary tools to conduct a post-mortem of HIV patients. “As conducting the post-mortem of an HIV victim poses the risk of contraction of the disease, we had to refer the body to Kathmandu,” he said.

Shankar had married Kopila about nine years ago knowing that the latter was an HIV patient.