Nagpur: Contaminated blood transfusion medicos still on rolls

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Tainted GMCH medicos still on rolls

23 Jan 2008, 0132 hrs IST , Snehlata Shrivastav , TNN

NAGPUR: A day after the Supreme Court directed the trial court to

proceed in a case relating to transfusion of HIV contaminated blood

to patients at GMC, Nagpur, in 1993, the TOI has learnt that two of

the technicians - earlier accused in the case - still continue to

serve in the same hospital.

Besides, a doctor - Dr P P Sancheti - whose name also figured in the

case, is still in government service as on date. It is learnt that

the accused were suspended after a departmental inquiry for two-and-a-

half years, but they were subsequently re-instated as " the department

had found them partly guilty " . The accused also got a favourable

judgment from the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court.

Sources said, Dr Sancheti, who is deputed as medical superintendent,

Dharni sub-district hospital, Amravati district, is also practising

from his Shrikrishna Peth residence and a clinic at Jaistambh Chowk

in Amravati as a general practitioner. Sources stated that he keeps

coming to Nagpur during hearings before the judicial magistrate first

class court.

The whereabouts of the other blood transfusion officer Dr Madke could

not be traced. Of the three technicians, N M Khode, D D Pawar and P M

Gosai, accused of issuing infected blood and tampering with the

laboratory records, Khode and Pawar are working as lab technicians in

the GMCH biochemistry clinical laboratory since 2005. On Tuesday,

this correspondent met one of the technicians, however, he preferred

to be " tightlipped " , stating that the matter was subjudice.

The case in the JMFC reopened about a year ago and its last hearing

was held on January 5 this year. Sources at GMCH told TOI that two

departmental enquiries were conducted from May 29, 1995 to August 14,

1997 and September 1, 1997 to November 18, 1997. The second inquiry

headed by D G Nanhe, the District Enquiry Officer, submitted its

report on November 22, 1997.

The inquiry concluded that the allegations on the three technicians

could not be " totally proved " . As per the procedure, collected blood

is sent for the tests, including HIV test to the AIDS surveillance

centre attached to microbiology department. The technicians must

issue the blood only after the Centre issues the blood report. But

the probe revealed that the technicians reportedly did not wait for

the blood report to come from the Centre and issued blood to four

patients.

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