Woodland Hospital institutes inquiry into expiry blood case

Shillong Sept 20: Woodland Hospital instituted an internal inquiry into the alleged case of negligence where a breast tumor patient was administered with expired blood.

The incident came to light after media persons armed with evidence approached the management of the hospital for clarification on the negligence.

The patient, from a remote village in Ri Bhoi District, was not aware about the incident.

Woodland Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Werlok Kharshiing said that an inquiry was instituted immediately into the matter and action will be taken accordingly against whoever responsible.

Admitting that it is a case of negligence, Kharshiing said, “The hospital will not deny that legally it is wrong (to administer expired blood to patients).”

He said that it was a fact that the blood given on August 31 to the patient had expired on August 30.

“Blood transfusion was done 12 hours after the blood had expired,” he admitted.

Kharshiïng said that preliminary investigation revealed that a senior technician of the hospital’s blood storage centre had gone ahead in releasing the expired blood without consulting the in-charge of the centre.

Woodland hospital is tying up with the Regional Blood Bank and Pasteur Institute Shillong.

The patient has not lodged any complaint and she was not aware of the incident.

Kharshiing admitted that even the hospital authority knew that such a serious mistake had taken place in the hospital from media persons.

He informed that the patient had tumors growing in both of her breasts since she was 23 years old, and the tumor was successfully removed from only one side about five years ago.

Recently, the patient was again admitted in the hospital after suffering from severe anemia due to stillbirth and she was given blood transfusion four times during her stay in the hospital.

Kharshiing said that the patient till now had not complaint of any health problem after being discharged from the hospital on September 8.

“There are two types of preserving blood, one is for 35 days and the other for 45 days. However as you preserve, the quality comes down,” he said.

Kharshiing said if the health authorities of the state cancelled the license (of the storage centre), it will be a great loss to patients.

Meanwhile, the senior technician of the hospital owned the responsibility and admitted that she had released the blood without the knowledge of the doctors.

The technician tendered her apology to the hospital, and asserted, “I alone deserve to be punished but not the hospital.”