New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Maharashtra government over reports of four children testing HIV-positive following a blood transfusion in Nagpur and one of them dying, the officials on Friday said, PTI reported. Observing that contents of the media report, if true, amount to the victims’ human rights violation, the NHRC has issued a notice to the chief secretary of Maharashtra, seeking a detailed report in the matter within six weeks.
“The report is expected to include action taken or proposed to be taken, against the erring public servants/officials if found guilty,” the NHRC said in a statement.
“He has also been asked to report if any interim compensation or any further payment of compensation given to the next of kin of the deceased child and the treatment initiated by the State for the other victim children,” the rights panel added.
The four children, according to a media report were being treated for thalassemia in which blood for transfusion has to screened through a Nucleic Acid Test first.
The NHRC in a statement said the children were, however, administered contaminated blood in the absence of the facility.
The NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of the media report that the four children tested HIV-positive after the blood transfusion and one of them died in Nagpur.
The state health department, as per the media report carried on May 26, has started taking action against the culprits after a high-level investigation.
The statement said it is also stated that previously, five children suffering from thalassemia had got infected with hepatitis-C, while two children were infected with hepatitis-B.