HC seeks reply from Punjab on plea for FIR against hospital staff

CHANDIGARH: The high court on Friday sought response from Punjab government and Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) on a plea seeking registration of an FIR against hospital staff members of the civil hospital for alleged transfusion of HIV+ blood to a woman in May last year.

The court, acting on the plea of the Bathinda woman, has sought response by November 30. The plea seeks registration of FIR against Dr Maninder Singh, senior medical officer (SMO), civil hospital, and two former officials of the blood bank for alleged transfusion of HIV+ blood to her.

The court was informed that when she was admitted in the civil hospital for treatment of anaemia on May 6, 2020, she was transfused HIV + blood by Richu Goyal, former medical laboratory technician. It was further alleged that Dr Krishna Goyal, in-charge of blood bank, came to know about this episode, but she did not inform about it to her superior officers.

According to the plea, it was on October 5, 2020 that a committee of doctors submitted an inquiry report to Dr Maninder Singh confirming these facts. Dr Maninder Singh, the plea alleges, did not take any steps to locate the petitioner. When she was contacted at a very late stage in August, 2021, the woman tested HIV +ve. Upon further examination, her husband, and seven- year- old daughter, too, tested HIV +ve, having been infected from the petitioner, the plea says, adding that all the three were granted admission for regular treatment in ART Centre of Civil

Hospital, Bathinda on August 28.

In this manner, the life of all the three victims has been ruined due to the gross negligence on the part hospital authorities. The Bathinda police registered an FIR on October 10 against one Baldv Singh Romana, senior medical technician, who had handed over blood bags containing HIV + Blood to Richu Goyal, and Krishna Goyal, the plea says. The gross negligence on the part of SMO, in not contacting the patient for about 10 months, after coming to know of transfusion of HIV+ ve blood, resulted in delayed treatment, and during the intervening period, her husband and daughter also got infected. Thus, criminal proceedings must be launched against these staff members as well, the plea stated.