Karnal: The Karnal District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has penalised a local private blood bank for providing contaminated blood platelets to two dengue patients, following which they died during blood transfusion in 2021.
In its separate orders that were made available on Saturday, the commission’s president Jaswant Singh ordered Sikka Save Life Blood Bank and its owner JK Sikka to pay ₹25 lakh each to the families of deceased Pankaj Kumar, a native of Sadar Bazar, and Pankaj of Rasulpur Kalan village.
As per the judgment passed on November 29, the court ordered both parties to pay the compensation to the aggrieved families within 45 days of the order on account of the untimely death of their family members due to their negligence.
Appearing on their behalf, advocate Raghav Mehta contended that both the patients with the same blood group were admitted at a private hospital after being diagnosed with dengue on October 26, 2021, and due to low platelet count, the attendants were asked to purchase bags of platelets from Sikka Save Life Blood Bank.
“Blood transfusions were carried out on both of them, but no reaction was found. On the doctor’s instructions, two bags each were arranged from the same blood bank. During the transfusions, the condition of both of them deteriorated due to reactions of the blood platelets. Pankaj from Rasulpur Kalan died on October 28 at midnight, while the other patient was shifted to another private hospital nearby, where he breathed his last at 5 am,” the order read.
Following the deaths, the medical board of negligence ruled out any disparity on the part of the hospital but opined that the patients died due to severe transfusion reactions and aseptic conditions not followed strictly by the blood centre.
“The medical board has opined that the blood centre was negligent. Their report also shows that the number of platelphretic procedures done on October 26 and 27, 2021, at the centre were far beyond the capacity as per resources and a number of staff available. The centre and its owner also did not rebut the opinion of the board by leading documentary evidence. Hence, their acts amount to deficiency in service and unfair trade practices while supplying the contaminated blood units,” the order concluded while justifying compensation to both.
