Jharkhand HC orders FIR after five children test HIV-positive following blood transfusions
Medical Negligence
Chaibasa: A case of alleged medical negligence at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital blood bank in West Singhbhum district has resurfaced after five minor thalassemia patients contracted HIV through blood transfusions, prompting the Jharkhand High Court to direct the immediate registration of a First Information Report (FIR).
The five children aged between five and seven years of age affected were dependent on regular transfusions as part of their long-term clinical care, and were infected last year, raising serious concerns over transfusion safety and blood screening practices in public healthcare facilities.
The incident took place at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital in West Singhbhum district, where the children had received multiple blood transfusions. Families of the affected patients have alleged that lapses in donor screening and blood bank oversight led to the transmission of HIV, compounding the already lifelong medical burden associated with thalassemia.
According to The Indian Express, the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday directed the police to register an FIR “forthwith” while hearing a writ petition filed on behalf of the affected children. Justice Gautam Kumar Chaudhary also ordered that a copy of the FIR be supplied to the complainants and placed before the court through a counter-affidavit.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in a disturbing incident in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, five children with thalassemia had tested HIV-positive following blood transfusions. Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered the suspension of the West Singhbhum civil surgeon, the medical officer in charge of the blood bank, and the technicians in connection with the case.
The report stated that the children tested HIV-positive in October last year after receiving blood transfusions at the hospital’s blood bank, triggering questions about compliance with mandatory screening protocols and regulatory supervision at government-run transfusion centres.
The petition was filed by advocate Md Shadab Ansari on behalf of the affected families, seeking criminal action and a court-monitored probe into the alleged medical negligence and systemic failures at the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital blood bank.
During the hearing, the counsel submitted that despite the severity of the medical harm, no FIR had been registered until now, forcing the families to approach the High Court. The plea also highlighted that the affected children belong to marginalised communities and that the HIV infection has resulted in long-term medical, social, and economic distress.
Quoting advocate Md Shadab Ansari, The Indian Express reported, “While the state government had announced an ex gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each child, the petition argued that the amount was grossly inadequate given the lifelong treatment required for both thalassemia and HIV management.”
Ansari added that the court’s direction marks an important step towards accountability. “The matter will be heard again, during which the High Court is also expected to consider the plea for a court-monitored SIT investigation,” he said, adding that the matter will be heard again, when the High Court is also expected to consider a plea for a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.
