Cuttack: Days after an elderly patient reportedly became critical after a wrong blood transfusion at a private hospital in Odisha's Cuttack district, four staff of the Central Red Cross Blood Bank were suspended for gross negligence. 

The patient Bhusan Jena (74) of Jhola Sahi had to be immediately rushed to the ICU after his condition deteriorated minutes after he was administered blood of a different group.

As per reports,  Jena had been hospitalised following a stroke after his haemoglobin level dropped. Family members said blood was arranged from the bank in the first phase but when the need for more transfusion arose, doctors asked them to go to the Central Red Cross Blood Bank for ‘A’ positive blood unit. However, minutes after the blood transfusion, Jena’s condition deteriorated so much so that he was rushed to the ICU. When the blood was later verified at a private lab, it turned out to be ‘B’ positive instead of ‘A’ positive. What’s worse, the patient’s kin claimed that the pouch had ‘A’ positive written on it while it had the wrong blood type inside.

Jena's son had claimed that he went to the Red Cross blood bank and asked for ‘A’ positive blood unit. They asked for a sample which I did not have then. So he went back and came again with blood sample. The Red Cross staff then did the cross matching of samples and handed him the blood unit. However, as soon as the transfusion was underway, Jena started having rigours and became pale. His pulse dropped and he had to be rushed to the ICU. "As I am a pharmacist, I suspected something was amiss and called a friend to verify the blood at a private lab which, to our dismay, turned out to be the wrong type, i.e, ‘B’ positive,” he had told mediapersons.

Jena's son had also refused to hand over the pouch which he had got from the Red Cross as that was the only evidence he had. “After the matter came to the fore, the Red Cross staff asked me to fill a form and hand over the pouch while taking a sample from it, which they will cross match. But I will not hand over the pouch as it is the only proof I have, It has ‘A’ positive written on it but had ‘B’ positive blood type inside. Such negligence is appalling and nearly cost my father his life,” he had stated.

After the incident came to the fore, Director of the Central Red Cross Blood Bank had said they were probing the issue and further details will be shared after the doctor treating the patient gives his report.