9-yr-old leukaemia patient gets HIV after transfusion

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has ordered a probe after a nine-yearold leukaemia patient tested positive for HIV infection allegedly after undergoing a blood transfusion at a top government hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

State health minister KK Shailaja formed a team comprising experts from anti-retroviral therapy, pathology and blood bank. The minister said the state government would meet all expenses of further medical treatment of the girl.

The police also questioned some employees and doctors of the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and seized medical records of the girl.

The girl has been under treatment at the RCC for leukaemia since March and in August she tested positive for HIV during routine blood tests. Her parents alleged that there was a deliberate attempt to conceal information about the infection. They said they found out about the infection accidentally.

“Doctors told us a surgery was needed but they kept on delaying it and started high-dose of antibiotics. Later we found in the medical report that the column regarding the HIV was left blank,” said the father.

He alleged that doctors advised the family to go for an HIV test and both parents tested negative but the girl was positive. Since the blood transfusion was done only at the RCC, the parents are convinced that she got infected at the cancer institute.

The parents said they would also approach the human rights commission. State opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala called on the girl on Friday and urged the government to book those responsible for the “criminal medical negligence.” The RCC later clarified that the girl was on chemotherapy since March 3 and since then 49 units of bold was given to her.