LUCKNOW: A fake doctor treating poor villagers for colds, coughs and diarrhea has infected at least
LUCKNOW: A fake doctor treating poor villagers for colds, coughs and diarrhea has infected at least 21 of them with HIV by using contaminated syringes and needles, says an health official.
Sushil Choudhury, the official, says police are looking for Rajendra Yadav, who has fled Bangarmau, a small town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh
The villagers say they rarely saw him changing the needles. Choudhury said Tuesday that probably led to the spread of HIV.
With India’s health care system facing a massive shortage of doctors and hospitals, millions of poor people seek fake doctors for cheap treatment.
India had 2.1 million people living with HIV at the end of 2016, according to UNAIDS.
“An investigation showed that almost all of them had taken injections from one person,” Choudhury said. “This was an important lead. We set up special medical camps in villages in the area and checked 566 people, and 21 were found to be HIV positive.”
PTI inputs
