On November 5, doctors asked attendants to arrange for blood as Tilottamma was reportedly found to be anemic. A blood grouping done at the hospital's blood bank revealed Tilottamma's group as O plus. She gave birth to a baby girl on November 6 and was given a blood transfusion.

Her trauma began soon after. Her temperature shot up alarmingly and parts of her body turned insensitive. She was in agony for three days and on November 9, when her condition deteriorated, the need for another blood transfusion was felt. This time, when her blood grouping was done, it was found to be A positive.

The revelations shocked doctors. To cross-check the findings another grouping was undertaken at theclinic of Dr Prativa Sen, former associate professor of pathology. This also revealed her blood group as A positive.

Strangely, the mistake of November 5 was repeated the following day when the cross-matching failed to detect the error and revealed the young woman's blood group to be O positive.

Investigation by TNIE disclosed that when the mistake committed on November 5 was traced, the concerned people at the blood bank's testing laboratory fudged the money receipt, No 74759, to change the blood group from O positive to A positive. But the cross-matching receipt which still showed O positive could not be fudged.

The Red Cross blood bank director, in a letter to the concerned doctor in the Gynaecological Department where Tilottama was treated, also admitted the grievous lapse in the group testing. This letter was scribbled on the back of the money receipt of the second blood grouping done on November 9.

In his letter, the director said: ``This patient has Gr A2 (a weak variant of A) for which it wasinadvertently missed earlier. However Gr O has been transfused safely as a universal donor. Now this A group has been matched by the blood bank of the Medical College. I have rechecked it further. You may transfuse if she requires blood.''

However, on November 14, Tilottamma was shifted to the female medicine ward on the plea that the medicine department had the responsibility of treating her.

Her trauma is shared by her father Mayadhar Behera, who is ironically a reserve ward attendant at the hospital. ``I had Rs 3,200 with me when my daughter was admitted, but now I am left with Rs 200 only. The suffering of my daughter has added to the woes that the recent cyclone had inflicted on me,'' he moaned.

Had it been any group other than O positive, it would have spelled doom for poor Tilottamma. ``The mistake of perfunctory performance of duty by certain technicians might prove fatal for any human life in the hospital where people come to save their lives,'' said a medical practitioner.