Sanjay Kala, the Principal of GSVM Medical College in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday refuted the reports claiming that 14 children undergoing blood transfusions had tested positive for infections like HIV, Hepatitis B, and C.
Kala clarified that there have been only two cases of HIV detected in the past decade, occurring in 2014 and 2019.
Kala also mentioned that they would be recommending disciplinary action to the government against Dr. Arun Arya, the Head of Pediatrics at Lala Lajpat Rai Medical College, for making such a statement that led to media reports.
Earlier, reports had surfaced on Monday claiming that doctors at a hospital in Kanpur said fourteen children receiving blood transfusions have been found to be infected with conditions such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. They also said that the kids were already dealing with the Thalassemia condition that required the transfusions, and are now under greater health risk.
The incident was documented at the publicly operated Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital, where officials suggested that the issue might be related to inadequate virus testing procedures typically conducted on donated blood. However, identifying the exact source of the infection may pose a challenge, they had said.
The clarification came hours after the president of the Indian National Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the reports and said claimed that the innocent children were “suffering the punishment for an unforgivable crime” committed by the saffron party.
