Silchar, Assam: Two individuals were detained at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) after they were allegedly caught demanding ₹5,500 from the family of a patient in exchange for arranging blood from the hospital’s blood bank.
The incident reportedly occurred while the family of a critically ill woman was trying to secure blood for her treatment. Hospital authorities intervened after becoming suspicious of the alleged transaction and immediately detained the two suspects before handing them over to the Ghungoor Police Outpost.
According to hospital sources, the patient, 35-year-old Taimun Nessa from Ramkrishnanagar village in Sribhumi district, has been admitted to the maternity ward and has been undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the past three days. Her relatives had been arranging voluntary blood donations as part of her treatment.
Her husband, Namr Uddin, alleged that while the family was making arrangements, a man approached them inside the hospital and claimed he could arrange the required blood from the hospital’s blood bank. The individual allegedly demanded ₹5,500 in return.
Hospital officials reportedly noticed the family preparing to hand over the money and acted immediately, detaining the two individuals before informing the police.
The accused denied the allegations, maintaining that they had not demanded payment for blood. They claimed they had only asked for a small amount of money to cover tea and refreshments.
Reacting to the incident, SMCH Superintendent Dr Bikash Sanyal said the hospital follows a strict zero-tolerance policy against touts and unauthorised middlemen operating within the campus. He urged patients and their attendants to seek assistance only from authorised hospital staff for blood and other medical services.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
