Chaibasa: A disturbing case of alleged medical negligence has surfaced in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa town, where five children undergoing treatment for thalassaemia have tested HIV positive, sparking outrage among families and raising serious concerns about blood safety protocols in government hospitals.
The families of the affected children have accused the Sadar Hospital blood bank of supplying contaminated blood, which they claim may have caused the infections. The matter has prompted swift action from the Jharkhand Health Department, which has formed a five-member medical team from Ranchi to investigate the incident.
The inquiry team, led by Director of Health Services Dr. Dinesh Kumar, inspected the Sadar Hospital’s blood bank and paediatric intensive care unit on Saturday. Officials collected detailed records of the children’s treatments and the blood transfusions administered over the past few months.
“Initial investigation indicates that contaminated blood was transfused to a thalassaemia patient. Some discrepancies were detected in the blood bank during the probe, and the officials concerned have been directed to address them immediately,” said Dr. Dinesh Kumar, confirming lapses in the hospital’s procedures.
The probe team also includes Dr. Shipra Das, Dr. S.S. Paswan, Dr. Bhagat, District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhee, Dr. Shivcharan Hansda, and Dr. Minu Kumari.
According to Dr. Majhee, one of the affected children — a seven-year-old — tested HIV positive more than a week ago. He added that while initial findings point toward transfused blood as a possible source, further medical evaluation is required to rule out other means of transmission such as contaminated needles or medical equipment.
The child is reported to have received around 25 units of blood since the beginning of treatment at the Chaibasa blood bank. Investigators are now tracing all recent blood transfusions administered to thalassaemia patients in the region to determine whether more cases have occurred and to identify the root cause of the infection.
Health department officials revealed that West Singhbhum district currently records 515 HIV-positive cases and 56 thalassaemia patients. The government has directed all district hospitals to immediately review their blood screening and transfusion protocols to prevent further incidents.
