The Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) was on Friday the focus of a fast unfolding police inquiry into the plight of a nine-year-old chemotherapy patient who tested HIV positive last month after she underwent a series of blood transfusions to optimise her haemoglobin levels during treatment.
A police team led by Assistant Commissioner, Cybercity, A. Pramod Kumar visited the premier institution and seized the child’s case sheet as evidence on record. It also recorded the statements of hospital caregivers who attended the girl.
Investigators said the evidence collected so far strongly hinted at criminal negligence that caused the patient’s life to be seriously endangered. Their task was to fix responsibility. The police registered a case of rash and negligence under Section 336 of the IPC. The Section carries a punishment of three months of imprisonment and fine. No RCC official has been named as accused so far.
Investigators said both the girl’s parents had tested HIV negative. A public laboratory had examined their blood at the behest of the police.
The child’s medical records showed she had tested HIV negative in March and April.
However, she tested HIV positive on August 25 after several round of blood transfusions at the RCC.
The RCC informally told investigators that HIV often manifested itself belatedly, sometimes as late as six months after a person is infected. Hence, doctors could not rule out the possibility that the child was infected elsewhere. Some private hospitals had treated the girl before the RCC admitted her.
The probe was bound to be a protracted one. Investigators have to collect the code number of every batch of blood infused into the girl to trace the donor and also find out whether the RCC had accepted any HIV-infected blood for medical use.
The child’s parents had produced 15 donors to give blood to their ward during her treatment. The police have to trace those donors and test them for HIV. They have also recommended the constitution of a medico-legal board to aid them in the complicated probe.
