Rs 5 lakh compensation for HIV-infected blood recipients: Gogoi

Guwahati: The Assam government today announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the patients who tested HIV-positive after receiving blood from a state-run hospital. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also said the government would bear all the medical expenses of the victims. Four persons have tested positive for HIV after they were transfused blood at civil hospital in Mangaldoi town, some 70 km from Guwahati.[caption id=“attachment_878437” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. PTI[/caption] The state government has already instituted a one-man commission headed by additional chief secretary PP Varma to probe into the incident. The commission will submit the report within a month. Gogoi also asked the state Advocate General to explore legal options for initiating action against those found guilty for the serious lapse, an official release said. The chief minister directed state Health and Family Welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to visit the area to review the situation, it said. The in-charge of the blood bank and two laboratory technicians at Mangaldoi Civil Hospital were suspended by the district administration on Sunday. PTI