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Ranchi:A case that will shake the health system has come to light in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. HIV infection has been confirmed in five children after blood transfusion in the government hospital of Chaibasa. These include a seven-year-old child suffering from thalassemia. This incident has shocked the health department and administration in the entire state.

How did the infection spread?

The incident came to light when on Friday the family members of a child suffering from thalassemia alleged that infected blood was transfused in the blood bank of Chaibasa Sadar Hospital. After the complaint, Jharkhand Health Department came into action.

A five-member medical team was sent to Chaibasa under the chairmanship of Health Services Director Dr. Dinesh Kumar. The team conducted an investigation on the spot and on Saturday it was shockingly revealed that HIV infection has also been confirmed in four more children. All these children were receiving blood transfusion from the same hospital for a long time.

Signs of irregularities in blood bank

Dr. Dinesh Kumar said that initial investigation has revealed serious negligence in the functioning of the blood bank. He said that preliminary reports suggest that contaminated blood was transfused to the thalassemia patient. Many shortcomings have been found in record management and security checks in the blood bank. After this incident, the blood bank of the hospital has been put in emergency operation mode and currently blood transfusion is being allowed only in urgent cases.

investigation team report

The investigation team included Dr. Shipra Das, Dr. SS Paswan, Dr. Bhagat, Dr. Sushanto Kumar Majhi, Dr. Shivcharan Hansda and Dr. Meenu Kumari. The team inspected both the blood bank and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and also interacted with the affected families.

The investigation found that there were serious irregularities in screening of samples, record maintenance and protocol adherence in the blood bank. The report has been submitted to the State Health Secretary and action has been recommended against the responsible employees.

Due to what reasons can infection occur?

District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Kumar Majhi said that investigation is underway to find out how and when the children contracted the infection. He also added that it is too early to say that the infection is caused only by blood transfusion, as there could be other reasons for the spread of HIV such as the use of contaminated needles or lack of hygiene in the hospital.

Family members demanded justice

The family of the first infected child has demanded accountability from the district administration and the state government. Local public representative Madhav Chandra Kunkal alleged that this incident could be to some personal rivalry. He claims that a dispute between a blood bank employee and the child’s family was already pending in the court.

High Court took cognizance

Taking cognizance of this matter, Jharkhand High Court has sought a report from the State Health Secretary and District Civil Surgeon. The court has also directed that all blood donors linked to the infection should be examined and concrete steps should be taken to stop the spread of the infection.

According to official figures, there are currently 515 HIV infected patients and 56 thalassemia patients registered in West Singhbhum district. The government has decided to conduct a comprehensive audit of all the blood banks across the state.