Jharkhand health department probe gives clean chit to blood bank over HIV infection of three of family

Chaibasa (Jharkhand): A probe by the Jharkhand health department found that the source of HIV infection of three members of a family was not linked to the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital blood bank, an official said on Thursday.

Dr Sidharth Sanyal, Director-in-Chief of Health Services, told PTI that a two-member team conducted a thorough probe into the allegation that the HIV infection of a woman, her husband and their elder child was linked to transusion of blood sourced from the Chaibasa facility.

Health Services Deputy Director Dr Pramod Kumar Sinha led the investigation team.

"The husband had alleged in the media earlier this month that his wife was administered blood during a C-section (caesarean section) delivery at the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital in 2023, which later led to the entire family becoming HIV infected," Sanyal said.

The matter came to light when his wife became pregnant for the second time in June 2025 and was found HIV-positive during a routine check-up.

Subsequently, the man was also found to be HIV-infected, and on January 2, 2026, their elder child fell ill and tested positive for the contagion, he said.

"The team went through all the records of the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital blood bank and found that the woman was administered one unit of blood from a donor, while another unit of blood remained unused during the C-section. We traced the used blood donor sample from Sonua in West Singhbhum district and found it HIV negative," Sanyal said.

The health department concluded that the source of HIV infection was not linked to the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital blood bank in 2023.

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi had called for a CBI probe into the functioning of the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital and criticised the Hemant Soren government for "failing" to close down the blood bank.

"The entire incident smacks of a deep conspiracy. The blood bank at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital, despite a directive for its closure, is still functional. A CBI probe is necessary into the activities of the Sadar Hospital in-charge and the blood bank," the BJP leader had said on X.

Chaibasa Sadar Hospital in-charge and West Singhbhum civil surgeon Dr Bharti Minz told PTI that the husband, who is a resident in Chaibasa Sadar block, had turned up at the hospital after several requests.

"We have made the matter clear to him that the infected blood was not from our blood bank and assured him of proper check-up of the family affected by HIV infection as per government norms," said Dr Minz.

The blood bank was in the news in October last year when the Jharkhand government confirmed that five children with thalassemia were infected with HIV, and all infections were linked to transfusion of blood sourced from the facility.