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Kidney racket: State govt forms inquiry panel to investigate regional authorisation committee
The four-member committee will investigate the members of the regional authorisation committee for organ transplant at the Sassoon general hospital, which gave final approval for the transplant, says official
The state government has formed a committee to conduct an inquiry into the regional organ transplant committee to investigate the lacunae that led to the kidney racket in the city. Earlier, Ruby hall clinic, which conducted the transplant after approval from the regional committee, was sent a show cause notice with respect to the same case. The case has brought to light the loopholes in the live donor transplant system which is often exploited by the organ trading mafia to dupe victims.
Deputy director of health, Pune circle, Dr Sanjog Kadam, said, “The state government has sent in a committee of experts and officials to investigate the case. The committee includes the deputy director of Nashik, a nephrologist, a urologist and a doctor from Mumbai. The four-member committee will investigate the members of the regional authorisation committee for organ transplant at the Sassoon general hospital, which gave final approval for the transplant. The enquiry report will be submitted to the director of health services.”
Earlier, the health department had sent out a show cause notice to Ruby hall clinic regarding the same case. The kidney racket has exposed the live organ donor mafia operating in the city.
The crime came to light after the woman, one of the donors, alleged that she is not the wife of the recipient, only after the transplant took place.
The kidney swapping racket involves two families, one a mother and daughter and another a husband-wife couple who decided to swap kidneys as they were found to be the right match for each other. While kidney swapping is legal, it is a crime if any financial transaction takes place between the two parties.
The transplant took place on March 24, but the matter came to light on April 5 after the woman, one of the donors, approached the media. On March 29, Ruby Hall Clinic filed a complaint with Koregaon Park police station stating that a swap transaction between Mr Amit Salunkhe and Ms Sonal Kadamwas was performed at 7 am at the hospital on March 24.
The complaint letter by the private hospital to the police station states, “Today at the time of discharge of one of the donors, Mrs Sujata Amit Salunkhe (wife of Mr Amit Salunkhe) being the swap donor for Ms Sonal Kadam, claimed that she is not the wife and presented her identity card with a different name.”
However, it was later revealed that the woman had agreed to donate her kidney in exchange for Rs15 lakh.
While swapping of live donor organs is legal and approved, it is illegal if any financial transaction takes place between the two parties.
The private hospital defended its stand by stating that the transplant was conducted only after all statutory procedures of verification of documents and completion of formalities were completed. The said transplant was approved by the regional authorisation committee for organ transplant of the Sassoon general hospital and all documents of both the donor and recipient were duly verified by the committee.
Earlier, the superintendent of Sassoon general hospital (SGH), Dr Ajay Taware, who was part of the regional committee, said that the documents were given for verification by the private hospital and that the woman had proclaimed on record that she was indeed the wife of the said man.
