Jaipur: The Rajasthan health department instituted Friday a high-level inquiry into a 23-year-old pregnant woman’s death at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital after an allegedly negligent mix-up led to her receiving blood of the wrong type.It was the third such instance since Feb 2024 of a patient dying of complications allegedly caused by a blood mismatch during transfusion at state-run hospitals in the capital city.The probe was ordered after TOI’s exclusive report on Friday, ‘Mom-to-be, 23, dies at SMS hosp after blood transfusion goof-up’, on Chaina of Bada Gaon village near Niwai in Tonk district, who was administered A+ blood despite being B+ positive on May 20, triggering complications that turned fatal two days later.Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission, too, sought “a detailed factual report” from SMS Medical College by June 12.Medical education secretary Ambrish Kumar convened a meeting with SMS Medical College’s principal, Dr Deepak Maheshwari, and other officials before setting up a three-member inquiry committee consisting of the additional principal and heads of the medicine and transfusion medicine departments. The panel’s brief is to review everything from sample collection procedures to transfusion protocols and fix responsibility for the alleged goof-up. “The panel will submit its findings by Monday,” said Dr Sushil Bhati, medical superintendent of SMS Hospital.Chaina had been admitted to the state’s largest govt hospital with low haemoglobin, severe tuberculosis and other complications on May 12.The medical staff recommended transfusion and sent a request to the blood bank with her sample, marked A+, on May 19, sources said. The woman received the recommended units of blood the next day. When a sample was again sent with a fresh requisition later, it was found that her blood group was B+.The case raised serious concerns about blood transfusion protocols in govt hospitals. While hospital authorities maintained that the patient was already critical due to miliary tuberculosis and pregnancy complications, the transfusion reaction report accessed by TOI confirmed severe adverse reactions including haematuria, tachycardia, fever and chills following the transfusion of wrong blood type.
