Bikaner: Paramedical staff dismissed, 5 transferred over unauthorised blood tests

A nursing officer, along with a helper and others, allegedly collected blood samples from infants without medical consent or prescriptions in the children section of PBM Hospital

Bikaner: A paramedical contractual staff was dismissed from duties, and five others were transferred following allegations of unauthorised blood tests conducted on approximately 15 infants at a government hospital in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, officials said.

The samples were allegedly drawn while their mothers were asleep around midnight, with no standard precautions in place. Parents were reportedly misled into believing the tests were part of an emergency protocol. (HT Photo/ Representative photo)

The incident came to light on Wednesday when a nursing officer, along with a helper and others, allegedly collected blood samples from infants without medical consent or prescriptions in the children section of the Prince Bijoy Singh Memorial (PBM) Hospital’s Rathi Ward.

The samples were allegedly drawn while their mothers were asleep around midnight, with no standard precautions in place. Parents were reportedly misled into believing the tests were part of an emergency protocol.

Hospital superintendent Surendra Kumar Verma ordered an inquiry, forming a four-member committee comprising of doctors Gaurishankar Joshi and Shiv Shankar Jhanwar, and nursing superintendent Seema Kumari.

The panel submitted its report within 24 hours, prompting disciplinary action. “The guilty will not be spared, We are committed to restoring public trust and ensuring that patient care is never compromised,” Verma told HT.

The hospital administration terminated Ashok Legha, a contractual worker, and five other paramedical staffers have been transferred including nursing officer Chetan, who allegedly collected blood samples.

The samples were sent to Shri Balaji Lab & Diagnostic Center, a private facility, where each test cost ₹500—despite such diagnostics being available free of charge within the hospital. Within an hour, printed reports were handed to the unsuspecting parents, who then approached the doctors the following morning. Doctors were taken aback, as no such tests had been recommended or documented.

As outrage grew, several children were discharged early. Reports also point to a broader pattern of outsourcing routine hospital tests like Complete Blood Count (CBC), Liver Function Test (LFT), and even HIV screening to private labs, raising serious concerns over accountability and exploitation.