A pregnant mainland Chinese woman who was erroneously told she was HIV-positive is now seeking compensation from Union Hospital in Sha Tin.
The 34-year-old, who was four months pregnant at the time, went to the private hospital for a prenatal blood screening on April 11, Apple Daily reports. Two days later, she received results which said she had tested positive for HIV.
The mother-to-be, surnamed Chan, says she was told on the spot by hospital staff that she wouldn’t be helped or allowed to give birth in the hospital.
Union Hospital then referred Chan to Prince of Wales Hospital for a more detailed blood test, the results of which weren’t released for two weeks. At the end of April, Chan was confirmed to be HIV-negative.
The 34-year-old and her husband, who are expecting their second child, said the distress from the false positive nearly caused them to divorce. The couple visited Union Hospital yesterday to demand a full explanation for the mistake, monetary compensation for their suffering, and full compensation for Chan’s medical fees.
A representative for Union apologised to Chan yesterday and refunded her hospital stay deposit and blood screening fee. Union Hospital’s Deputy Medical Director Dr. Ares Leung is scheduled to meet the Chans today to discuss the issue further.
Dr. Yu Kai-man, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at Union’s Tseung Kwan O Polyclinic, said he had “never heard of such an incident” in his 22 years at the hospital, and added that the test conducted at Union has a 0.1 percent chance of yielding a false positive result.
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