Jharkhand: Negligence by blood bank? A 7-year-old child with thalassemia was transfused with HIV-infected blood, and an inspection found four more children

A five-member team from Ranchi arrived in Chaibasa, West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand, on Saturday to investigate allegations that a local blood bank transfused blood from an HIV-positive person to a seven-year-old child suffering from thalassemia. District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhi stated that the child had been tested for HIV a week ago, which confirmed the infection.

Inspection of Sadar Hospital and Blood Bank

The Civil Surgeon stated that the government-appointed investigation team visited Sadar Hospital and the blood bank in Chaibasa as part of its investigation. However, Majhi did not provide details as the investigation is still ongoing.

The matter came to light on Friday when the child’s family accused the blood bank of transfusing him with contaminated blood. He stated that the child had received approximately 25 units of blood transfusions since he was taken to the blood bank.

Blood donors will be investigated

Following the allegations, a three-member local committee headed by District Reproductive and Child Health (DRCH) Officer Dr. Meenu was formed to investigate the matter. Majhi said the committee is expected to submit its report soon after a detailed investigation. The Civil Surgeon said that before reaching any conclusions, the blood donors whose samples were used for the child’s blood transfusion will be tested.

HIV Infection: Other Causes Possible

Majhi said that this child, a resident of a village in the Manjhari police station area, has been found to be HIV positive. However, it is premature to say whether the infection was caused by blood transfusions from the blood bank. He said that HIV infection can also occur due to other causes, including injections or blood transfusions using used needles.

Four more children found during inspection

Meanwhile, the issue of HIV-positive blood transfusions at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital is becoming more serious. While preliminary investigations confirmed that one child had received a transfusion of contaminated blood, a special medical team from Ranchi has now tested four more children with thalassemia positive.

A special medical team led by Dr. Dinesh Kumar, Director of Health Services, Jharkhand, conducted a surprise inspection of the blood bank and PICU ward at Sadar Hospital, gathering detailed information from the families of the children undergoing treatment. The director stated that several deficiencies were found in the blood bank during the inspection. Instructions have been given to rectify all deficiencies. He stated that all deficiencies will be rectified within a week.

The director stated that a report on the findings will be submitted to the health department in Ranchi. Currently, there are 515 HIV-positive and 56 thalassemia patients in the district.

The medical team included Dr. Dinesh Kumar, Dr. Shipra Das, Dr. SS Paswan, Dr. Bhagat, along with Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Kumar Manjhi, DS Dr. Shivcharan Hasda, and Dr. Meenu Kumari.