Balangir: An HIV positive expectant mother was denied bed at the district headquarters hospital here on Sunday.

She was asked to lie on the veranda of the hospital, where she also delivered a girl.

The incident came to light after the woman alleged about the incident before the chief district medical officer after giving birth to the girl on the verandah.

Sources said the woman, who hailed from Chudapali of the district, was admitted at district headquarters hospital here once she started having the labour pain on Sunday. The authorities in charge of the maternity ward, however, did not allot her a bed after they came to know that she had been HIV infected.

The woman was asked to stay in the verandah instead of a bed where she delivered a baby.

"After examining my papers the staff members came to know that I was infected with HIV. Thereafter, they did not allot me a bed in the ward. Instead they asked me to stay in the verandah. At the medical facility, I got apathy and ill-treatment from both the attending doctors and nurses," she said in her complaint.

The incident has invited sharp reactions from the activists as well as local residents. Rabi Sahu, a social activist, said it was unfortunate that an HIV positive patient got such treatment in a state-run hospital.

"The hospital authority must make a fair probe into the incident and punish those, who are found guilty," he said.

Balangir chief district medical officer Sugyanendra Mishra has ordered an inquiry into the allegation.

"I have ordered a probe into the complaint. Stern action will be taken against those, who are found to have ill-treated and misbehaved with the HIV positive woman patient," he said.

Time and again the district headquarters hospital here has been in news, but most of the time, for wrong reasons. In February, the hospital authority had drawn flak when some kids were found to have been administered expired saline by its staff members.

Notwithstanding the massive AIDS awareness drive that is being taken up to educate people about various aspects of the disease, the real picture remains different in this area.