Bikaner, Rajasthan, December 19, 2025: A 75-year-old woman, Bhawani Devi, who was undergoing treatment at the Acharya Tulsi Cancer Wing of PBM Hospital in Rajasthan’s Bikaner allegedly suffered a sudden deterioration in her health after being transfused with an incompatible blood group.
She was suffering from severe anemia when admitted. Her hemoglobin level was recorded at 4.4 g/dL. Doctors had advised a blood transfusion on the evening of Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
According to hospital sources, the first unit of blood (A positive) was transfused without complications. However, during the second transfusion, a B positive blood unit was allegedly administered without proper verification or cross-checking by the nursing staff present in the cancer wing.
According to NHS, a blood transfusion is a generally very safe procedure where blood from someone else (a donor) goes into a vein in your arm through a narrow tube.
The error reportedly came to light when a family member noticed the blood group mentioned on the transfusion unit during the procedure and immediately informed the hospital staff. The transfusion was stopped at once, and emergency medical treatment was initiated. The patient’s condition was then stabilized.
“The nursing staff in the cabin asked us to get a unit of blood for her from the blood bank. Soon after we transfused it, she fell sick. We gave her CPR. The nursing staff were watching everything silently. Later, we noticed that the blood unit with B+ blood was transfused to her instead of A+,” a family member of the patient said.
A patient with blood group A can receive blood from a donor with blood group A or blood group O. However, they cannot receive blood from a donor with blood group B or AB.
The incident was reported to Dr. Surendra Verma, Principal of Sardar Patel Medical College and Superintendent of PBM Hospital, who visited the cancer wing along with senior officials to review the situation.
“The patient is absolutely stable at present. Her hemoglobin was critically low, which is why the transfusion was being given at night. Some issues arose during the transfusion process,” Dr. Verma said.
He confirmed that a committee would be constituted to investigate the lapse, adding that strict action would be taken against those found responsible.
A senior hospital official familiar with the case suggested that the error may have occurred due to two patients with the same name being admitted in the same cabin of the cancer wing.
“It is probable that the nursing staff failed to properly verify patient details. Both parties had brought blood units from the blood bank, and the units may have been mistakenly swapped,” the official said.
Hospital authorities have initiated a multi-layered probe into the matter to investigate the issue. According to Dr. Verma, the probe will include:
A central committee comprising four additional superintendents
The Oncology Department and the Blood Bank Authority have also formed two different committees
The findings of the primary probe will be submitted to the Rajasthan state government, officials said.
(Rh/VK)
