Govt rejects report, orders impartial probe into death due to wrong blood

Jaipur: The state govt rejected the report of an investigation into the death of a 23-year-old pregnant woman at the SMS Hospital due to the transfusion of wrong blood and ordered a new impartial inquiry Saturday. The five-member inquiry committee, formed by the SMS Medical College, though confirmed Saturday that a wrong blood group was administered to the patient but denied this as the cause of her death.Dissatisfied with the findings, health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar promptly appointed a high-level committee, headed by Mukesh Meena, joint secretary and additional director of medical education department, to conduct a fair inquiry without the involvement of SMS Medical College doctors. TOI was the first to highlight the gross negligence of the SMS Hospital in a front-page news report published Friday. The victim Chaina, from a village near Niwai in Tonk district, was admitted to the SMS Hospital on May 9 with low haemoglobin and oxygen levels.SMS Medical College principal Dr Deepak Maheshwari acknowledged the transfusion error but maintained it wasn't the cause of death, asserting that the transfusion was stopped immediately upon noticing the error."Two things are clear: one is that the woman did not die of the wrong blood transfusion as she was already sick and critical, and the second thing is that she was transfused with the wrong blood, but it was stopped soon after noticing that something was wrong," said Maheshwari.He said, "At the time of blood sampling of the woman, a resident doctor and a nursing staff were present. We are finding out who is responsible for it, and we will definitely act against those involved in the wrong blood transfusion,".However, documents accessed by TOI show a timeline of the transfusion reaction that reveals a critical delay, which may have directly impacted the patient's medical condition. Chaina received 350ml of incorrect blood on May 20, with the transfusion beginning at 9:52am and a reaction occurring at 5pm, contradicting the claim that the error was spotted early. Chaina, who was already in critical condition, passed away late that night.The new investigation committee, comprising retired govt doctors and medical education directorate officials, has been given three days to submit its report. "Based on the report's findings, the department will ensure strict action against the guilty," said Khimsar.The health minister reviewed the entire case in the high-level meeting at the SMS Medical College Saturday. Superintendents of all govt hospitals affiliated with the medical college attended the meeting. They were instructed to ensure effective compliance with SOPs during treatment at the hospitals. It was directed that trained and experienced staff be employed in ICUs, operation theatres and critical care wards in all hospitals. Additionally, periodic training for doctors, nursing and paramedical staff should be conducted to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.Box: New committee membersThe high-level committee is chaired by Mukesh Meena, joint secretary and additional director of the medical education department. The committee includes former Superintendent of SMS Hospital Dr Narpat Singh Shekhawat, former head of the department of medicine Dr Sudhir Mehta, medical superintendent Dr Sushil Bhati and deputy director of RajMES Dr Vandana Sharma.