Three Family Members Test HIV-Positive, Chaibasa Sadar Hospital under scrutiny
Three Family Members Contract HIV
Ranchi: Fresh scrutiny has gripped Chaibasa Sadar Hospital in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand, after three members of the same family – a woman, her husband, and their elder child – reportedly tested HIV-positive, allegedly following a blood transfusion at the hospital.
The incident reportedly occurred following a woman's cesarean section in January 2023. According to the family, she suffered excessive bleeding during delivery and was administered blood from the hospital’s blood bank. The family has alleged that the transfused blood was infected, which later resulted in the entire family contracting HIV.
Also Read:Jharkhand Shocker: 5 children test HIV positive; Civil Surgeon, medical officer suspended
The matter came to light when the woman became pregnant for a second time in June 2025. Routine medical tests revealed that she was HIV-positive. Subsequent testing later confirmed that her husband and elder child had also contracted the virus. On January 2, 2026, she gave birth to her second child.
This is not the first incident linked to Chaibasa Sadar Hospital’s blood bank. In October 2025, five children undergoing treatment for thalassemia at the same hospital were reported to have contracted HIV due to infected blood, raising serious concerns about the hospital’s management and safety protocols.
Medical Dialogues had previously 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.
As per the news reports by TNIE, West Singhbhum Civil Surgeon Dr Bharti Gorti Minj, however, said that it would not be appropriate to hold the blood bank responsible solely on the basis of allegations at this time. She stated that the family has been called to the hospital. The health department will conduct a thorough review of the medical records, the date of the blood transfusion, the blood donor's test reports, and the transfusion process. A conclusion will be reached only after the investigation is complete.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi condemned the incident on social media, calling it part of a larger failure in government hospitals.
In his post on X, he wrote, “In Jharkhand, three members of the same family—a woman, her husband, and their eldest daughter—have tested positive for HIV. According to information, blood was transfused to the woman from the blood bank of Chaibasa Sadar Hospital during her first delivery in January 2023. This is the same blood bank that made headlines last year due to cases of HIV infection among children suffering from thalassemia.”
Marandi accused the state government of failing to manage its hospitals effectively while entering agreements with expensive private hospitals abroad. He demanded a CBI investigation into the functioning of Chaibasa Sadar Hospital and its blood bank, alleging that the recurring incidents point to a larger conspiracy.
Also Read:MP: Doctor, 2 lab technicians suspended after 6 Thalassemic children test HIV positive
