The Jharkhand High Court has directed the Chaibasa Sadar Police Station to register an FIR regarding the alleged transfusion of contaminated blood that reportedly led to HIV infections in five children in West Singhbhum district.
Justice Gautam Kumar Chaudhary issued the direction while hearing a criminal writ petition filed by Deepak Hembram, who alleged that despite repeated efforts, no FIR had been registered by the police.
Taking note of the allegations, the judge directed the officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station to promptly lodge an FIR and initiate necessary action against those responsible.
Earlier, a division bench of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajesh Shankar had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident involving five children from Chaibasa who were reportedly infected with HIV after receiving blood transfusions.
The children, all thalassemia patients, had undergone transfusions at Sadar Hospital in Chaibasa.
The bench had previously pulled up the Jharkhand government for failing to ensure adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for blood transfusion. During the proceedings, the Health Secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh was rapped by the court over lapses in the healthcare system.
The high court directed the Health Secretary to file an affidavit providing details about:
- Blood donation camps held in both government and private hospitals
- The SOPs being followed or to be formulated in line with the National Blood Policy
The court stressed the need for strict compliance with blood safety protocols to prevent such incidents.
In response to the incident, the Jharkhand government suspended the West Singhbhum civil surgeon and several other officials on October 26. A high-level inquiry was also ordered by Chief Minister Hemant Soren to investigate the lapse.
The court continues to monitor the case closely and has underlined the need for systemic reform to ensure patient safety in government hospitals.
