Key Points:
UP govt admitted O+ patient received AB+ blood at SRN Hospital.
Allahabad HC called it violation of Right to Life under Article 21.
Hospital is attached to Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj.
High level safety committee ordered to prevent recurrence.
Court to consider compensation on March 23, 2026.
The Allahabad High Court has taken serious note of a fatal medical lapse after the Uttar Pradesh government admitted that a woman died due to transfusion of the wrong blood group at Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital in Prayagraj. The court has now ordered the formation of a high-level committee and is considering compensation for the victim’s family.
A division bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan recorded the state’s admission during proceedings on February 2, 2026. The patient, whose blood group was O Positive, was mistakenly transfused AB Positive blood, leading to severe post operative complications and eventual death.
The case came before the High Court through a writ petition filed by the deceased woman’s son in Saurabh Singh vs Swaroop Rani Hospital and 3 Others.
Government counsel and Additional Advocate General Rahul Agarwal acknowledged the mistake in court. The bench noted that the subsequent treatment appeared to be merely an attempt to counter the damage caused by the incompatible transfusion rather than effective medical care.
Taking a constitutional view, the court observed that the Right to Life under Article 21 obligates the state and its medical institutions to protect patients.
The judges also held the medical college administration responsible, noting that the Principal had a duty to ensure patient safety and that the incident reflected a failure of that obligation.
Because the state did not dispute the cause of death, the court said it did not need to separately determine negligence and instead focused on accountability and systemic reform.
To prevent similar tragedies, the bench directed the Director General of Medical Education, Uttar Pradesh, to instruct the hospital to form a committee chaired by the Medical College Principal and including members from multiple departments.
The committee will collect operational data from the hospital, recommend procedural and infrastructural safeguards, and ensure mechanisms exist to prevent fatal transfusion errors.
The High Court ordered submission of a comprehensive report within five weeks and directed authorities to provide financial and administrative support to implement safety measures.
The bench sought assistance from the petitioner’s lawyers and the state on the legal parameters for awarding compensation in constitutional courts.
The Medical College Principal must file a personal affidavit placing the committee report and the Director General’s response on record. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on March 23, 2026.
(Rh/ARC)