Apprehensive of an adverse impact on organ transplant programmes in the country following the arrests of doctors in the kidney racket at the L.H. Hiranandani Hospital, a delegation of medical experts met State Health Minister Deepak Sawant on Saturday. The delegation comprised representatives from the Mumbai Urology Society, Mumbai Nephrology group, Association of Medical Consultants (AMC) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
They told Mr. Sawant that medical experts, especially those associated with organ transplant programmes, were working in an atmosphere of fear. Five doctors including the CEO and Medical Director of L.H. Hiranandani were arrested for their alleged role in the racket and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
The delegation requested for a resolution absolving doctors of the responsibility of verifying the authenticity of documents submitted for a kidney transplant. Mr. Sawant responded that he would need to consult the Chief Minister and the Law and Judiciary department for a suitable solution.
A delegation member said, “We categorically told him this episode (the arrests) is having an adverse impact on the organ donation and transplant programmes across the country, for which doctors and the medical fraternity have been working hard. The government has promised positive action in seven days.”
The doctors also said the fraternity was anguished by their colleagues’ arrest, which they said was humiliating when they were already cooperating with the police in the investigation. They said there was no reason to believe they would abscond or tamper with the evidence. The future of organ donation and transplant programmes could be jeopardised as doctors would hesitate to be associated with them, they added.
Dr Sudhir Naik, representing the AMC, said, “We now believe anybody and everybody can be in the same boat. This fear is making transplant procedures difficult because we (fraternity) are being treated like criminals. Our main grouse is, doctors should not be given the job of checking documents.”
