A 34-year-old woman from Palakollu, West Godavari district, died at Kakinada Government General Hospital (GGH) on November 27, after being transfused with the wrong blood type, sparking concerns over medical negligence at the facility.
Bhavana Sirisha, who has been suffering from kidney disease for four years, was brought into the hospital on November 4 for further treatment. Her doctors recommended a blood transfusion as a way of increasing her hemoglobin levels. She required 'O positive' blood.
Sirisha's family says that the hospital's blood bank was providing the required blood. On November 26 evening, a house surgeon mistakenly administered 'AB positive' instead. Relatives of Sirisha noticed the mistake and approached the surgeon. According to them, their warnings were dismissed.
It was only later that a postgraduate doctor intervened and brought the right blood type, which stopped the transfusion. At that point, the wrong blood had already been administered to Sirisha.
Even after immediate efforts to withdraw the wrong blood, Sirisha's condition deteriorated rapidly. The medical staff worked to stabilize her oxygen levels, but unfortunately, she died early on the morning of November 27.
The grieving family has condemned the tragedy as utterly preventable, and Sirisha's mother, Devadatla Peddintla, wants accountability and justice for the fatal blunder. "We want to know how this happened and who will be held responsible," she said.
The hospital superintendent, Dr. Lavanya Kumari extended her condolences to the family and assured them that all the facts would be scrutinized. The matter was also reported to the state health minister.
The government has compensated the family with Rs 3 lakh as part of its support. However, the family continues to call for justice, demanding that those responsible for the tragic error be held accountable for the loss of their loved one.