Hospital officials, staff face raps for alleged wrong HIV diagnosis | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features

It was in year 1998 when Jed Dragg, 32 years old, was diagnosed HIV-positive at the San Lazaro Hospital. He was again tested at the same hospital on October 30, 2009 but the result turned out to be negative. He was also HIV negative when tested at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine on November 4, 2009.

Jed believes that San Lazaro Hospital committed mistakes.

"It may be the reagent or must be the kit, o nagka-switch ang blood sample, and I am not sure about it but the definitely it really made a mistake… there is no really a cure for HIV, so how could it happen?" he said.

Because of this, Jed wants San Lazaro to be held liable for losing his job and a life being not normal because of this.

Jed filed administrative cases before the Ombudsman, the Professional Regulation Commission and the Philippine Medical Association against the ten officers and staff of San Lazaro that was led by Dr. Arturo Cabanban, the former medical center chief.

It is at the National Reference Laboratory for HIV in San Lazaro Hospital where screening and confirmatory test for patients who want to know whether they are negative or positive for HIV is being done.

However, the governing body of San Lazaro laboratory asserted that they did not commit mistake and that they do quality work. They already answered the accusations of Jed to the Ombudsman. They also cautioned about the possibility that Jed’s illness might return.

On the other hand, the Department of Health assured that they can bring out the results of their investigation of Jed’s case.

As a medical technologist, I do believe that getting a negative result after more than ten years is possible for the reason that the patient’s antibody or antigen might not already be enough to be detectable assuming that Jed’s illness is currently in silent state after taking antiretroviral treatment. And also, there is no such test available that is 100 percent accurate, sensitive, or specific.

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