Hyderabad: Blood bank in a spot as 3-year-old thalassemia patient tests HIV positive

The parents of the child have lodged a complaint against the blood bank where he has been undergoing blood transfusion for the past two-and-a-half years. The blood bank is run by the Indian Red Cross Society

2 min readHyderabadAug 9, 2022 02:01 PM IST

A three-year-old boy suffering from thalassemia tested positive for HIV. (Representational File Photo)

After a three-year-old boy suffering from thalassemia tested positive for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) in Hyderabad, the parents have lodged a complaint against the blood bank where he has been undergoing blood transfusion for the past two-and-a-half years. Based on the complaint, the Nallakunta police registered a case Monday against the blood bank and started an investigation.

The parents informed the police that the boy, a thalassemia patient, has been undergoing blood transfusion at the same blood bank since he was six months old. He undergoes transfusion once in every 15 days and has not visited any other blood bank during the past two-and-a-half years, according to the parents.
Last month, when the boy visited the blood bank for a periodic transfusion, he also underwent an HIV test as a routine procedure.

M Ravi, station house officer of Nallakunta police station, told indianexpress.com, that a case has been registered under section 338 (causing grievous hurt by endangering life) of the Indian Penal Code against the blood bank run by the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS).

“The family has been visiting the same blood bank for blood transfusion every 15 days since October 2019. The last time the boy underwent a blood transfusion at the bank was on July 20. The IRCS detected him to be HIV positive. The parents hence approached the police with a complaint against IRCS for alleged negligence,” the inspector said.

On the other hand, the IRCS has told the police that an error from their side was not possible. “The IRCS says they have records of all blood donors and are ready to summon each of the donors from the last two years and 10 months for a blood test. We have registered a case under IPC 338 and are investigating the matter,” he said.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Loading Recommendations...

Mar 15: Latest News

Live Blog