Chipulu Mulenga said on May 9, 2016 while pregnant, she went to the clinic with her husband to be tested for HIV as per requirement when one is an expectant mother.
Ms Mulenga said while at the clinic, they visited the voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) wing, where they were counselled and tested by one of the medical workers.
She said when the results were ready, the officer told her that she was HIV-positive and that the blood specimen of her husband had been non-reactive.
“I was shocked to learn that I was HIV-positive while my husband was negative. The officer who was testing us counselled my husband and told him how he should take care of me and the food that I should eat to remain healthy,” she said.
Ms Mulenga said after the counselling session, a file was opened for her at Luangwa Clinic and she was immediately put on ART.
She said when her pregnancy was due, she went to ZAMTAN Clinic to deliver and while there, another HIV test was conducted, but the results came out negative.
Ms Mulenga said after delivery, she did another test with New Start Centre, which visited Luangwa township and the results again were non-reactive.
She said in January this year, she went to Luangwa Clinic to have herself registered for family planning, but first they had to test her for HIV and the result came out negative again.
“When you go for family planning, they test for HIV before prescribing family planning pills. I was tested again just there at Luangwa Clinic and my results came out negative,” she said.
She said the results of all subsequent tests have been negative.
Ms Mulenga wants the Ministry of Health to compensate her for the emotional distress she and her husband have been through.
She said her marriage is on the verge of collapse because of the wrong results and that her husband has been refusing to support her and her child, saying she is sick.
“I have been taking these drugs for eight months now. I don’t know the state of my body now. My husband calls me and my child sick and no longer supports me,” Ms Mulenga said.
She said her child was also put on a drug after he was born.
But Kitwe district medical officer Chikafuna Banda said medical personnel usually follow procedure before putting patients on ART.
Dr Banda, however, said he will investigate the matter.
And Michael Mulenga, 36, Ms Mulenga’s husband, said he was surprised to learn that his wife was HIV-positive when they went for VCT.
Mr Mulenga said he still supports his wife and has never left the matrimonial home because of her condition.
He said his wife has been accusing him of having connived with medical personnel at Luangwa Clinic to swap the results, but said the allegations were not true.
Mr Mulenga has since vowed to take another HIV test to prove to his wife that he is not HIV -positive.
WHY BRINGING THE MATTER IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN? YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST GONE TO SEE THE LAWYERS OR LEGAL AID AND START FROM THERE. YOU ARE SPOILING THE CASE AND ALREADY YOUR HUSBAND IS DISAGREEING TO WHAT IS BEING REPORTED. YOU COULD HAVE BROUGHT COOL MONEY INTO YOUR HOME BUT THAT LOUD MOUTH HAS DEVALUED YOUR CASE ALREADY.
I dont have HIV, and will NEVER. I control and demand things are done to me on my terms
Thanks
BB2014,16
Iwe naiwe siunawerenge ati afuna Ndalama zo sakirira ma loya? Didnt you read that “A TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD woman of Kitwe’s Luangwa township has appealed to well-wishers to help her seek justice in a matter in which she was allegedly told she was HIV-positive and put on anti-retroviral (ART) drugs at Luangwa Clinic when she was not infected”
No she is right to bring it to the public fora. And that husband is useless. What was the vow when you married? For better or….
Ba Mushota ninani uga mitomba imwe muzambia first tamwalowa secondly you are impotent thirdly you are all month on Periods
She was actually positive, but after taking Sondashi Formular, she got cured.!
@Mushota also! Last time you said you were having problems with your ART medication! Perhaps you have changed your doctor.
WHETHER RR OR NOT MR MULENGA IS AGREEING ON NOT THE DAMAGE TO THE EMOTIONS OF THE WOMAN CANNOT BE UNDONE.
At the age of 20 years, what is she doing in marriage instead of persuing Degree course? And these are the people who are blaming Edgar Lungu for not creating jobs for them. Even if ECL creates jobs for them, are they going to compete with foreigners (Zimbabweans) with Masters Degrees when them will be bragging with marriage certificates from Local Courts? KK left many schools which they don’t even want to enter except Mushota. Young lady just thank Master Healer Jesus for healing you. Don’t sue Jesus for having pity on you.
What is the right age for marriage?
Oh my God! I cannot even imagine the emotional stress and trauma to the woman and her entire family. They must sue the clinic.Mr. and Mrs. Mulenga you should not rest till justice prevails. Those drugs are very strong and so you can just imagine what they have done to this woman’s ‘innocent’ body. That’s why it is strongly advisable to do HIV tests at 3 different centres
They must have given her lungus results in error. Can the head of state be informed please
Iwe’ Nez behave please!!
You have left me in fits of laughter.
On this one I pass, No comment!
Its called voluntary VCT. This means alot in legal terms. You dont have to believe the results of a single test so she should have done three different tests at first…
No sir. The Health Facility OWES a duty of care. When you go to the hospital, you go voluntarily. If they mess up your operation they are still liable, even if you volunteered to go to this hospital and did not seek a second opinion. YOUR argument is flawed at law.
I think she does have a tort case here. The health facility failed in its duty of care not by telling here that she was HIV positive (there is an acceptable FALSE positivity rate) but 1. failing to repeat the test for confirmation, 2. Starting ARVs without checking the baseline CD4 count. Secondly, the patient has suffered harm as a result of negligence. 1. Emotional distress. 2. Estrangement from her husband. 3. Side effects from the drugs on her. 4. Side effects of the drugs on her baby.
A good lawyer should get at least ZK 2 million (rebased) on ‘no win no fee’ basis. Unfortunately, Zambian courts do not punish GRZ.
Bringing this matter to the public is the wisest thing that can ever happen, there may be so many others who have been wrongly diagnosed with diseases that they do not have and given wrong prescriptions and medication, there is someone I know who has sued for wrongly being diagnosed with TB and put on TB drugs for five months after which it was discovered that he did not have TB but was wrongly diagnosed and prescribed on wrong medication.
This country has so many quacks who masquerade as professionals and got where they are through leakages, as a result, they have jobs that they know nothing about. This is the disadvantage of corrupting your way to wherever you want to be when you actually do not qualify, and you hear the so called leaders talking about corruption as if it is a…
commodity on the supermarket shelf. As if it is something you can acquire when it suits you and dispose off when you do not need it. Corruption will wipe this nation if not seriously addressed. Fingwele imwe.
I heard her narrative on Radio Icengelo, it was very moving. Very sad.
After fake tests, they then put you on drugs that actually make you sick. Its called the HIV industry.
Even cancer is an industry. Diseases such Ebola, Zikas etc are just laboratory products.
20 Year Old woman want justice after being wrongly diagnosed with HIV and put on ARVs
( A TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD woman of Kitwe’s Luangwa township has appealed to well-wishers to help her seek justice in a matter in which she was allegedly told she was HIV-positive and put on anti-retroviral (ART) drugs at Luangwa Clinic when she was not infected)
WHICH ONE IS WHICH BA LT
Headline says something body says something else. Very common in Zedian journalism.
A single test in science is never relied upon because there are errors which do happen either human error or by equipment. Normally it is recommended that you take 3 different tests. If error was human may be there is a chance but if it was by equipment it might complicate the issue. The issue is how to prove that.. anyway I am not a lawyer this is just an opinion
The biggest problem we have in Zambia is the cheap tests subjected to patients. The results are often not fully accurate and their is need to bring this in the public domain. HIV tests done in developing countries using those cheap reactive kits are not even used in developed countries as their results cannot be taken as gospel truth. One needs to undertake the full blood tests in order to get the right results. If anything, we actually have thousands of people on HIV drugs from wrong tests results which is wrong and should be brought in the public. HIV became big business and the victims have been innocent people.
And aren’t there consequences if you are negative but take these ARV
Believe it or not every drug has side effects