Taiwan hospitals fined in HIV case
By Cai Wenjun |
September 1, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TWO Taiwan hospitals that put five transplant patients at risk of HIV infection were fined NT$150,000 (US$5,280) each by the island's health authorities for violating AIDS prevention and control regulations.
The Department of Health will announce the full results of its investigation into Taiwan University Hospital and the Cheng Kung University Hospital within two weeks. If a transplant recipient tests HIV positive, officials from the hospitals may face jail sentences of three to 10 years, reported yesterday's United Daily News in Taiwan.
Each of the patients received an organ from a man later found to have been an HIV carrier, because Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei didn't follow standard operating procedures or thoroughly check lab tests before performing the operations.
The health authority will also deploy expert teams to conduct secret investigations at the two hospitals to scrutinize their organ-donation and transplant procedures and recommend further punishment if any defects are found.
The two hospitals must also complete a treatment and care plan for the recipients and award them compensation.
And the hospitals may face further fines of between NT$50,000 to NT$500,000, under Taiwan's health laws. The relevant departments also may have to halt operations for one year.
The 37-year-old organ donor was declared brain dead after falling on August 24. His family, none of whom knew about his infection, contracted with Taiwan University Hospital for organ donation.
The transplant team rushed to remove the man's heart, liver, lung and two kidneys. The heart was sent to Cheng Kung University Hospital for a male patient, while his liver, lung and kidneys were used in transplant surgeries at Taiwan University Hospital.
Taiwan University doctors checked the results of HIV tests on the organs with the hospital's lab staff by phone and reportedly heard a staff member saying that the HIV test results were "non-reactive" while in fact they were "reactive" and proceeded to perform four transplant procedures.
Trusting the Taiwan University test results, the Cheng Kung Hospital began its heart transplant without doing HIV tests.
The Department of Health will announce the full results of its investigation into Taiwan University Hospital and the Cheng Kung University Hospital within two weeks. If a transplant recipient tests HIV positive, officials from the hospitals may face jail sentences of three to 10 years, reported yesterday's United Daily News in Taiwan.
Each of the patients received an organ from a man later found to have been an HIV carrier, because Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei didn't follow standard operating procedures or thoroughly check lab tests before performing the operations.
The health authority will also deploy expert teams to conduct secret investigations at the two hospitals to scrutinize their organ-donation and transplant procedures and recommend further punishment if any defects are found.
The two hospitals must also complete a treatment and care plan for the recipients and award them compensation.
And the hospitals may face further fines of between NT$50,000 to NT$500,000, under Taiwan's health laws. The relevant departments also may have to halt operations for one year.
The 37-year-old organ donor was declared brain dead after falling on August 24. His family, none of whom knew about his infection, contracted with Taiwan University Hospital for organ donation.
The transplant team rushed to remove the man's heart, liver, lung and two kidneys. The heart was sent to Cheng Kung University Hospital for a male patient, while his liver, lung and kidneys were used in transplant surgeries at Taiwan University Hospital.
Taiwan University doctors checked the results of HIV tests on the organs with the hospital's lab staff by phone and reportedly heard a staff member saying that the HIV test results were "non-reactive" while in fact they were "reactive" and proceeded to perform four transplant procedures.
Trusting the Taiwan University test results, the Cheng Kung Hospital began its heart transplant without doing HIV tests.
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