KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram authorities to preserve the blood samples, fluids and other medical records of the nine-year-old girl from Alappuzha, who died the other day. She had tested HIV positive allegedly after undergoing blood transfusion at the RCC
The HC order came on the petition filed by the father of the girl seeking to retain the blood sample and medical records. The counsel submitted the girl had died on Wednesday.
According to the petitioner, his daughter had been referred to the RCC by the Alappuzha Medical College authorities for the treatment of leukaemia and the transfusion was carried out using the blood provided by the RCC's blood bank . He said the HIV test carried out on his daughter at the time of her admission to the RCC had returned a negative result. The negligence of the hospital authorities had undermined his daughter’s right to life enshrined in the Constitution.
When the petition came up for hearing, the RCC submitted it is waiting for confirmation regarding the HIV test conducted in Chennai.The test conducted at the National Institute for Tuberculosis and Research, Chennai has ruled out the presence of HIV virus in the blood sample of the child. The result was forwarded to the National Clinical Expert Panel (NACEP), New Delhi for final opinion. Despite the RCC's numerous reminders, the NACEP is yet to give its final opinion.