After the news of a pregnant woman who was given HIV infected blood came out, the 19-year-old donor, who was unaware of his condition when he donated blood, attempted suicide in guilt. Ramanathapuram police told The News Minute that the man indeed tried to take his life on December 26. He has been admitted to the Ramanathapuram government hospital. The man’s condition is stable now and he is still being treated.
This suicide comes at a time when lapses in government hospital procedures have come out as in a government hospital in Sattur, Tamil Nadu, blood from this HIV positive donor was transferred to a 23-year-old pregnant woman earlier this month. The event came to light after the mother tested HIV positive, reported The Hindu
How did the incident take place?
The woman, who was eight months pregnant, was suffering from anaemia and was in the need of blood transfusion. As per The Indian Express, doctors brought one unit of O positive blood from the blood bank and transferred the blood to the woman on December 3. After the blood was transfused, Dr K Senthil Raj, project director, State Aids Control Society said that the woman showed symptoms like chills, fever and diarrhoea.
Incidentally, the blood donor had donated blood in 2016 at a donation camp in Sivakasi, however, due to the negligence of the counsellor at ICTC, they did not bother to trace and inform him about his condition. Earlier in November, the man, unaware of his condition, donated blood in the hospital for a relative. He became aware of his condition after he underwent a medical checkup in Madurai District, where he learnt that he was infected by Aids.
The blood donor informed about his illness to lab technicians, but, it was too late as the lab technicians had already transfused the blood to the pregnant woman.
Investigation was conducted on the incident
Later, a probe was conducted by a team of medical officers that includes Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society Deputy Director and officials from Antiretroviral therapy (Art) Centre. Following the investigation, lab technicians and counsellor from Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre of Sivakasi were suspended on December 25.
Bank‘s medical officer said to The Indian Express “We have terminated the services of the lab technician, who gave the daily report, the counsellor who did not identify that the donor was in the high-risk category, and the blood bank medical officer.”
As per India Today, the woman is counselled and has been put on antiretroviral to fight the virus from replicating. The Health Secretary has also assured to offer a job of a driver at the government hospital to the woman’s husband.
The Logical Indian Take
Pregnant women infused with HIV+ is one such incident that reflects the negligence of the government hospital in Sattur. Although the authorities will provide a job to the woman’s husband, the entire life of the pregnant woman has been put on stake due to the irresponsibility of the lab technician. As she is infected with HIV positive, even her baby might have a slight chance of acquiring the same. Meanwhile, in the entire incident, the question arises in everyone’s mind is that, who is to be blamed in this case and the job that has been provided to her husband enough to compensate for her loss?
The Logical Indian believes that incidents like these should not be ignored and the government needs to take immediate and strict measure to ensure the safety of the patients.
