Another lab technician booked in Bathinda
Richu Goyal was booked for her alleged role in infusing infected blood to a 7-year-old
BATHINDA : Police have booked sacked medical laboratory technician (MLT), Richu Goyal, for her alleged role in infusing HIV+ infected blood to a seven-yearold thalassemic patient in October. She is the second person to be booked in a series of cases where five persons, four of them children with thalassemia, were found infected to be HIV+ at Shaheed Bhai Mani Civil Hospital over the past two months.
“Richu’s name was added in the earlier FIR lodged in October, where another MLT Baldev Singh Romana was named as the prime accused. After a study of documents, the district attorney (DA) gave his nod to book Richu. The DA has also sought more records to scrutinise the role of Dr Karishma Goyal, previously posted at the blood bank of the hospital, in the mishandling of HIV+ infected blood,” said Kotwali SHO Devinder Singh.
He added that Richu had been booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder) of the India Penal Code (IPC) and 27 (manufacturing, sale of spurious drugs) of Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Karishma was the blood transfusion officer, whereas Romana and Richu were posted at the blood bank. Rishu is yet to be arrested.
Two investigations by separate panels of medical experts had found the three guilty of issuing blood of an HIV+ person without checking it, to two patients including, a seven-yearold thalassemic, since May.On October 9, Dr Karishma and Richu, both hired on contract by the state health department were dismissed, with the prime accused Romana suspended. On October 16, Romana was arrested by the local police after adding 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC.The internal inquiry found that the ex-blood bank officials were negligent on two counts. First, they did not check the blood before issuing it and they did not alert the patient and the hospital administration about the goof-up. Two departmental reports summed that the three officials were aware that a 47-year-old donor was HIV+ and his blood was issued to a woman patient in May. They allegedly not just allowed the infected person to donate blood, but transfused it to a girl patient.