Probe ordered into lapses in Phagwara blood bank

Chief minister Capt Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered probe into infected blood being given to two patients and a mismatch blood transfusion to a teenager

Chief minister Capt Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered probe into infected blood being given to two patients and a mismatch blood transfusion to a teenager at the Phagwara civil hospital blood bank. The CM also sought immediate inspection of all blood banks in the state.

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The order came in the wake of media reports of two blood units infected with HCV & HbsAg being issued to two patients in Phagwara.

The blood bank at Phagwara has since been shut down and the blood transfusion officer, Dr Hardeep Singh Sethi, has been placed under suspension. The contract of lab technician Ravi Paul has also been suspended, according to an official spokesperson, who revealed that Dr Kamal Kishore, senior medical officer, had also been suspended and Kapurthala civil surgeon has been asked to file a complaint for getting an FIR registered for criminal negligence.

Expressing concern, the CM directed the health department to immediately undertake a thorough check of all blood banks to ensure that the most stringent parameters of management were being followed there. No laxity in this regard could be permitted, he said.