Allahabad High Court Flags Medical Negligence After Wrong Blood Transfusion Death

The Allahabad High Court has taken serious note of a fatal medical lapse at SRN Hospital, Prayagraj, where a woman died after doctors administered an incompatible blood group.

The court heard a petition filed over the death of the mother of advocate Saurabh Singh Somvanshi, during which the hospital formally admitted its error.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Atul Sridharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan heard the matter.

Additional Advocate General Rahul Agrawal represented the state government, while Supreme Court advocate Reena N Singh appeared for the petitioner.

During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that gross negligence by the hospital administration directly caused the patient’s death.

Doctors had initially admitted the woman to the neurology department for treatment. Hospital staff later transfused the wrong blood group, which led to kidney failure.

Doctors then shifted her to the nephrology department, where her condition deteriorated, and she eventually died.

The Additional Advocate General admitted before the court that the hospital administered the wrong blood group, causing the patient’s death.

The admission prompted sharp observations from the bench.

The court said the medical college principal bears statutory and moral responsibility to safeguard patients’ rights. The judges said the incident reflected a clear failure of oversight and institutional accountability.

The bench said hospital authorities must implement proper systems to protect the right to life under Article 21. It said trained staff and strict protocols must prevent any loss of life due to negligence or inadequate facilities.

The court directed the Additional Advocate General and the petitioner’s counsel to jointly determine an appropriate compensation amount payable to the victim’s family. It also ordered the principal of the medical college to constitute a committee to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future.

The bench emphasised that the committee must frame safeguards, enforce accountability, and ensure compliance with medical standards to avoid similar lapses.

The court further instructed the state counsel to obtain details of the proposed compensation and place them on record. It fixed the next hearing for March 23 at 2:00 PM.

The case has brought renewed focus on patient safety, hospital governance, and institutional responsibility in government medical colleges.

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