Man claims compensation for HIV error
Print Edition
A MAN in central China’s Henan Province is seeking 2 million yuan (US$305,000) compensation for being wrongly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
Yang Shoufa, 53, from Zhenping County, was diagnosed during a provincial-wide check in 2004, during which more than 280,000 people were tested. It was not until 2012 that he found out the diagnosis was wrong.
Zhenping disease control center still has samples from 2004, and a retest of Yang’s sample also came up positive.
“The test equipment did not fail, so someone must have mixed up Yang’s blood with an HIV patient,” said Wu Zhaofang, deputy director of the center.
Yang had been taking HIV medication since his diagnosis until 2012. He had to attend annual health checks, which only tested the amount of CD4 T cells in his blood. In people with HIV, it is the strongest indicator of HIV progression.
“Yang’s CD4 T cells were higher than other AIDS patients, but it never raised any concerns, no one doubted his diagnosis,” said Zhu Qian, director of the HIV/AIDS prevention institute in Henan.
At the time of the diagnosis, Yang did have some health problems. “I had donated blood once and then I suffered from repeated fever, so when they told me I had AIDS, I was convinced. I thought it was my destiny,” he said.
Zhenping health authority and the township government are now discussing a compensation plan for Yang.
“I don’t know how much the government should pay me. Negligence cost me my health, my family. It was utter devastation,” Yang said.
“This was an extremely rare incident but Yang’s tragic experience should ring alarm bells,” said Zhu.
“Extreme precaution should be taken to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.”
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