Isolated and 'in the dark'

Approximately a dozen men at a holding facility at the Al Baraha Hospital in Deira claim they are HIV-free.

Dubai: A longtime UAE resident with a Pakistani passport says he has lost everything after being told that he has contracted the HIV virus and landed in an isolated facility awaiting deportation to a country he has never known.
Born and bred in the UAE, Mohammad Hanif, 28, considers the UAE his home. Although he, along with other members of his family, were given Pakistani passports several years ago, he has never left the UAE. His entire life revolves around his work as a baggage handler. He and his extended family live in a dilapidated house outside Dubai. Speaking from his cell at a holding facility at the Al Baraha Hospital in Deira, Hanif questions his HIV positive diagnosis, which was apparently discovered after a trip to the doctor for a food poisoning complaint. Hanif, along with many of the inmates, complain of not being given access to their medical records or reports, and dispute the claims that they are suffering from infectious diseases. According to Hanif, he has only been notified about his alleged condition verbally.
"I have asked to see the medical reports several times since being told about being infected, but have been told that there's no need for me to see them," he told Gulf News.
Admitted to Dubai Hospital twice between July 16 and August 5, it was only after a routine check-up that the doctor insisted on an HIV test, which came back positive.
"I simply went in for a check-up because I was ill, and now two months later, I find myself in a place that feels like prison," he told Gulf News. "I was told that I have hepatitis, HIV, so many things, but I have not been given a report that makes me believe these claims."
Medical sources maintain that Hanif has been provided with reports confirming his condition and that it is normal for patients to go through a period of denial after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Hanif maintains that he is ready to accept his condition when he is given access to a second opinion and receives confirmation of his condition in writing.
With the family's primary breadwinner out of a job and in a holding facility, Hanif's mother Khadeeja (not her real name) said the family was struggling to make ends meet.
Prior to his incarceration, Hanif shared a two bedroom house with six other members of his family. One bedroom was assigned to his older brother, wife and their daughter, and the other to his parents, sister and himself.
According to Khadeeja, her elder son Abdullah's entire income goes towards paying rent and the family of seven has long relied on Hanif's income for living expenses.
"Our sister's contribution is minimal. We don't ask her for much money," added Abdullah.
When asked how the family would pay for utility bills and food, Abdullah pointed a finger to the ceiling. "God will help us," he said.