Phase II of busting the illegal organ trade in Tamil Nadu, led to the exposure of two more hospitals in Chennai involved in the illegal organ trade; their license has been revoked. This operation followed phase–I of the crackdown on illegal organ trade, following the sale of kidneys by poor fisherwomen on Chennai coast.
Further, 13 hospitals in Tamilnadu have received show cause notices.The laws pertaining to organ transplant stipulate that donors of organs be blood relatives of recipients. Hospitals in Chennai were seen to be flouting these rules by allowing poor people to impersonate as relatives of the recipients.
Tamil Nadu's Health Minister KKSSR Ramachandran was extremely disappointed that hospitals were not maintaining correct records of the transplants. To the extent, that a particular hospital was caught with fictitious records. A regulatory body which authorizes such organ transplants has received flak for allowing such things to happen. The doctors who are part of the panel are being questioned.
The only way to put an end to this illegal organ trade could be to encourage transplant of organs from brain dead patients.
Source-Medindia
SAV/L
