Jharkhand: Officials suspended after thalassemia-affected children test HIV-positive

Ranchi, Oct 26 (PTI) The Jharkhand government on Sunday suspended the West Singhbhum civil surgeon and other officials concerned after it came to light that five children suffering from thalassemia tested HIV-positive in Chaibasa following blood transfusions.

A high-level probe is also underway following the suspension of officials at the direction of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The Opposition BJP, however, attacked the government, terming the incident "shameful" and a "state-sponsored attempt to murder children".

The suspension came after the family of a seven-year-old thalassemia patient alleged that the local blood bank in Chaibasa, the district headquarters of West Singhbhum, had transfused HIV-contaminated blood to their child. During an inquiry by a five-member medical team from Ranchi on Saturday, four more children were found to be HIV-positive.

"This is a serious and sad issue. The civil surgeon concerned, medical officer in charge of the blood bank and technicians have been suspended with immediate effect and ACMO has been given charge. A high-level probe is underway in the matter," Jharkhand Additional Chief Secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh told PTI.

Singh said that preliminary findings indicated that the blood donors whose blood was used had tested HIV-negative at the time of donation, but a possible "window period" -- the time shortly after infection when the virus is undetectable -- could not be ruled out.

Singh, who is also in charge of the Health Department, said the government has formed a committee including experts from the Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society and the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences to review testing protocols, ensure stricter compliance and strengthen monitoring.

Counselling and antiretroviral therapy for the affected children and their families would be done, he said.

Earlier, Soren instructed officials to suspend the civil surgeon of West Singhbhum, along with other responsible officials.

"The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to each affected family and will bear the complete cost of treatment for the infected children," Soren posted on X.

Terming the incident extremely heartbreaking, the CM ordered the health department to conduct an audit of the blood banks in the state.

"The Health Department should conduct an audit of all blood banks located in the state and submit the report within five days. Lax arrangements in the health process will not be tolerated under any circumstances," the CM said in another post.

Following the initial allegation by the child's family, the state government constituted a medical team to investigate how the infected blood was transfused.

According to officials, approximately 25 units of blood had been transfused to the child since treatment began at the Chaibasa blood bank.

District Civil Surgeon Dr Sushanto Majhee earlier confirmed that the child had tested HIV-positive more than a week ago. He also said that HIV transmission could occur through various means, including exposure to contaminated needles.

The five-member investigation team, led by Director of Health Services Dr Dinesh Kumar, inspected the blood bank at Sadar Hospital and the paediatric intensive care unit, collecting details from children currently undergoing treatment.

"Preliminary investigations suggest that contaminated blood was transfused to a thalassemia patient. Certain irregularities were detected at the blood bank, and officials have been instructed to address these issues immediately," Dr Kumar stated.

West Singhbhum district currently has 515 HIV-positive cases and 56 thalassemia patients.

The probe team comprised Dr Dinesh Kumar, Director, Health Services, Dr Shipra Das, Dr SS Paswan, Dr Bhagat, District Civil Surgeon Dr Majhee, Dr Shivcharan Hansda, and Dr Minu Kumari.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi called the incident "shameful" and an "extremely serious case of negligence".

She said that the transfusion of HIV-infected blood to children was a matter of grave concern and represented a failure of the healthcare system.

The minister said compensation alone would not suffice and called for a thorough investigation to identify how the infected blood entered the supply chain, why the testing process failed and who was responsible.

She urged the state government to conduct a high-level inquiry within a fixed timeframe and to take strict action against anyone found guilty.

The Union minister said the issue went beyond the affected children and raised questions about public trust in the state's health infrastructure.

The Opposition BJP also sharply attacked the state government over the incident.

BJP state president and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Babulal Marandi, termed the episode not negligence but a "state-sponsored attempt to murder children." He alleged that five innocent children were given contaminated blood at a government hospital and said the tragedy reflected the collapse of Jharkhand's healthcare system.

Marandi said suspending a few officials was inadequate and demanded the removal of the Health Minister Irfan Ansari, whom he described as inactive and incompetent.

Ansari, however, could not be contacted for a reaction.

Marandi demanded fixing accountability at the highest level and that those responsible should face strict punishment.

Meanwhile, the state government said the investigation will be completed promptly and that safety standards for blood transfusion will be reviewed across all districts. PTI NAM ACD