Rajasthan blood bank racket: Govt orders probe, 2 held

The Rajasthan government has initiated an inquiry into a blood donation racket in Sriganganagar. This, after reports that several units of blood collected and supplied illegally to patients at a nursing home in Sriganganagar were HIV infected.

The Sriganganagar police on Sunday arrested Hetram Goyal, the owner of Goyal Medical Lab in Anoopgarh, for illegally collecting and supplying blood to a private nursing home. Two children, who received blood transfusions at the nursing home, have, however, tested negative for HIV.

Police along with district health authorities were scrutinising records seized from the lab and nursing home to determine how many patients were given blood transfusions. Sriganganagar's chief medical health officer B L Misra said, "Preliminary investigations show that the lab collected blood from donors and supplied it to patients in the nursing home."

In a twist to the tale, the alleged HIV positive donor also submitted an affidavit to the SDM that although he was HIV positive, he had never donated blood to the lab.

Sriganganagar SP Umesh Datta said, "The block medical officer registered an FIR against Goyal and Dr Bharat Bhusan, the owner of Shyam Nursing Home, for collecting and giving blood without a licence. Goyal has been arrested while a search is on for Dr Bhusan," Datta said.