Hospitals in Ankara refuse to admit HIV-infected pregnant girl with mental disabilities to give birth

Hospitals in Ankara have refused to admit an HIV-infected pregnant girl with mental disabilities to give birth because she had the "risk of carrying contagious virus." 

The girl, whose name remains hidden, was left abandoned after wanting to give birth, but was rejected by a number of hospitals, daily Habertürk reported on March 13. 

She was taken to several hospitals after she started having labor pains in the early hours of a morning. Hospitals said they turned her away because she was underage and "risked infecting hospital staff with HIV." 

She was later found alone in front of Hacettepe University Hospital's emergency service where she was about to give birth. According to eye-witnesses, several people had neglected the girl in front of the hospital's door.

"None of the hospitals admitted her. She is HIV-infected and has mental disabilities," they reportedly said. 

The hospital's emergency room staff did the initial medical response to the girl, with gynecologists arriving later to help her. 

The doctors initially wanted to perform caesarean section to prevent the baby from being infected with HIV, but had to carry out regular birth as the delivery had already started. 

During labor, the girl tried to escape doctors and refused to be in labor position, but eventually gave birth after being tranquilized. 
 
The doctors are keeping close attention to the baby's health condition and are waiting for test results to determine whether the baby has HIV.

Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation to determine how the girl was left impregnated and infected by HIV.