Strict action will be taken against all those who were negligent: Minister

Minister of Health Dr Maryam Shakeela has said that strict action will be taken against all those who were negligent in the transfusion of HIV positive blood to a pregnant woman at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

She said this in a statement issued today, apologising to the public following this incident.

“Following the completion of the investigation, I assure you that strict action will be taken against all those who were negligent in connection to this matter. Efforts are ongoing by the ministry to identify what needs to be done to prevent such incidents in the future, and changes will be made to the management and policies of IGMH as required.”

The ministry also assured that it will take care of the victim’s healthcare needs, and also provide assistance to her family.

“Given the equipment and modern technology that exist at IGMH, this is an incident that absolutely should not have taken place. The ministry acknowledges that this is entirely unacceptable.”

The ministry also urged healthcare professionals to be sincere and careful in their work, and to learn a lesson from this incident.

IGMH announced at a press conference on Wednesday night that HIV positive blood had been mistakenly transfused into a pregnant woman, with Deputy CEO of IGMH Habeeb describing it as ‘the saddest incident in the 18-year history’ of the hospital.

IGMH has since removed its Laboratory Head of Department, and suspended the laboratory technician responsible for this unfortunate blunder. A case has also been filed against him to police, but he has not been arrested.