Police have sought explanation from a Niloufer lab technician about the death of a toddler, allegedly due to blood transfusion. The move raised concerns among the hospital’s staff on Monday.
The death of three-month-old toddler M. Dhruvan occurred earlier this month, triggering a massive protest by the family which alleged negligence on the part of the hospital. The baby was admitted to Niloufer Hospital in the first week of April. On April 15, he was administered O+ blood after the hospital’s blood bank stated the baby’s blood group.
However, two days later, when the baby’s father was asked to approach a private blood bank for some blood components not available at the hospital’s blood bank, he came to know of a possible error in the blood group determination at Niloufer. The blood bank at Niloufer tested the blood again only to find that the child’s blood group was A+.
When the baby died on May 2, the family blamed the hospital’s administration for the death. The hospital administration has maintained that there was no error in determining the blood type. In an internal enquiry, the blood bank staff referred a few cases observed at Niloufer where blood types of babies can appear different in tests conducted on the same day. The hospital staff has also argued that O+ blood can be given to other positive ABO types as is done in cases of emergencies, and there were no adverse reactions immediately after transfusion.
A police official told The Hindu that the notice sent to the lab technician who was named in the FIR made under section 304 A requires an explanation about the events. However, pending a report from the State’s Forensic Science Laboratory which was sent the viscera after autopsy, the cause of death is yet to be established.
Meanwhile on Monday, senior doctors at the hospital termed the notice, made under section 41 of CRPC which carries with it the tag of arrest, a concern for the staff, which has been under cloud of allegations of negligence since death of women post C-section last year.
