CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A congressional panel will question Department of Veterans Affairs officials about mistakes that put patients at risk of possible exposure to HIV and other infectious body fluids at three VA hospitals.
The VA recommended more than 10,000 former VA patients in Miami, Fla., Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga., get follow-up blood checks. Five have tested positive for HIV and 43 have tested positive for hepatitis, according to the VA Web site Friday.
The U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs oversight and investigations subcommittee has set a June 16 hearing to look into what caused the problems and what the VA has done to fix them.
The subcommittee chairman, U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell D-Ariz., said Thursday that veterans who are testing positive for HIV and hepatitis, "whether it came from these improper procedures or not, the VA has a responsibility to take care of these patients.”
The VA’s initial December discovery of an equipment mistake at Murfreesboro led to a nationwide safety "step-up” at its 153 medical centers.
by the associated press
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