Fallout of kidney scam: State govt mulls stricter rules for donations

MUMBAI: Maharashtra plans to better regulate kidney transplants by taking the whole process online, monitoring donors and patients for longer, setting stricter standard

MUMBAI: Maharashtra plans to better regulate kidney transplants by taking the whole process online, monitoring donors and patients for longer, setting stricter standard operating procedure and using Aadhar data to verify identities.

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The move comes in the wake of the illegal transplants at Hiranandani hospital in the city, in which several doctors too have been arrested.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, public health minister Deepak Sawant, and officials from the health department met on Tuesday and decided to set up a committee to frame strict rules. It will be headed by the public health minister and will include officials from several departments.

The government said mandatory videography of the entire process would be enforced and software would be developed to process applications for organ donation.

“After the arrests of the doctors from Hiranandani Hospital, leading urologists and nephrologists met me to present their side on the issue. We have discussed the issue with the CM at length and have decided to evolve stricter standard operation procedure to curb malpractices, “Sawant said.

Renewal of licenses to perform organ transplant would be decided on the basis of the doctors’ awareness about the laws governing the process, he said. Regular workshops for doctors and transplant coordinators would be held. Besides, hospitals conducting transplants will have to have separate cells where donors and recipients would go through awareness programmes.