October 27, 2025
RANCHI – Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday ordered the suspension of West Singhbhum Civil Surgeon and other officials after five children suffering from thalassemia tested HIV-positive following blood transfusions at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital.
The action came a day after a seven-year-old thalassemia patient’s family alleged that the local blood bank had transfused HIV-infected blood. A five-member medical team from Ranchi, led by Director of Health Services Dr Dinesh Kumar, later confirmed that four more children had tested positive during an inspection.
“Instructions have been given to suspend the Civil Surgeon of West Singhbhum, along with other officials concerned, following reports of HIV-infected blood transfusion to children in Chaibasa. The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the affected families and bear the entire cost of treatment,” the Chief Minister said in a post on X.
Following the initial allegation, the government constituted a special team to trace the source of the infection. Around 25 units of blood had been transfused to the seven-year-old child since the start of treatment at the blood bank, officials said.
Civil Surgeon Dr Sushanto Majhee earlier claimed the child had tested HIV-positive over a week ago and said infection could also result from other factors, including use of contaminated needles. However, the inspection team detected several discrepancies in the blood bank’s operations.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that contaminated blood was transfused to a thalassemia patient. Some lapses were found in the blood bank during the probe, and officials have been directed to address them,” Dr. Kumar said.
The investigation team included Dr. Shipra Das, Dr. S.S. Paswan, Dr. Bhagat, Dr. Shivcharan Hansda, and Dr. Minu Kumari. They inspected the hospital’s blood bank and paediatric intensive care ward and interacted with children under treatment.
The case had earlier drawn the attention of the Jharkhand High Court, which took suo motu cognizance of the incident and ordered a detailed probe. The court directed the state government to ensure accountability and immediate corrective measures.
According to officials, West Singhbhum district currently has 515 HIV-positive patients and 56 thalassemia cases. The SIT is expected to submit a detailed report soon, identifying procedural lapses and recommending systemic reforms in blood safety protocols.
The incident has sparked concern over blood safety standards in Jharkhand’s public health institutions, with rights groups calling for stronger screening mechanisms and independent monitoring of transfusion services across districts.