Odisha: Probe ordered into deaths of 2 people due to ‘wrong blood transfusion’

Keonjhar chief district medical officer Dr Sujata Rani Mishra said she has ordered a probe into the incident

Published on: Jun 1, 2022, 16:41:13 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: Officials of the tribal-dominated district of Keonjhar in Odisha have ordered a probe into two separate cases of patients dying after they were allegedly transfused with wrong blood group during treatment in the district headquarters hospital.

The receipt of the blood transfusion that was done on one of the deceased in Odisha’s Keonjhar. (HT Photo)

Officials in Keonjhar said family members of Dama Munda, a 70-year-old tribal man, and Suni Sahu, a 40-year-old lady, have lodged a complaint with the district collector seeking action against the doctors and paramedical staff after both died after a blood transfusion procedure.

Dama Munda of Kandaraposhi village in Keonjhar Sadar was admitted to the hospital on March 29. Though he was initially admitted to the orthopedics ward, he was later shifted to the tuberculosis (TB) department after doctors suspected he was suffereing from TB. Though Munda required blood from the ‘A positive’ group, his family members allege they were given ‘B positive’ blood.

“The blood transfusion was stopped midway after my brother-in-law Bhagaban Munda told a nurse that he was being given blood of the wrong group. The next day, ‘A positive’ blood was given to him. Though his condition deteriorated, doctors discharged him on April 3 declaring him fit. However, he died on May 11, most likely due to complications from the transfusion of wrong blood group,” Dama’s son Ajit said in his complaint, demanding action against the medical staff for negligence and ₹20 lakh compensation.

Similarly, Suni Sahu from Raisuan gram panchayat of Keonjhar was admitted to the district headquarters hospital on May 13. Sahu was transfused with two units of blood of ‘B positive’ group. However, her condition deteriorated, following which she was taken to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where her blood group was found to be ‘AB positive’.

Sahu’s elder brother Babaji said on May 21 that his sister was transfused with two units of ‘B positive’ blood group. Though her condition improved for the first few days, it deteriorated soon, leading to her death on May 29.

“My sister died solely due to the lethargic manner in which she was treated in the Keonjhar hospital,” Babaji said, demanding strict action against the erring doctors.

Keonjhar chief district medical officer Dr Sujata Rani Mishra said she has ordered a probe into the incident.

The allegations of deaths due to wrong blood transfusion came a little more than a week after the Orissa high court issued a slew of directions to the state government for improvement of conditions in government hospitals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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