The Hindu : New Delhi News : `Doctors cannot be blamed'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

`Doctors cannot be blamed'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, OCT. 5. Shifting the blame on to unrecognised clinics and smaller nursing homes, city doctors today denied any role in the recently "unearthed' incidents of kidney trade spread across North India.

Addressing a press conference, physicians from the Delhi Nephrology Society and the Indian Society of Organ Transplant maintained that though "illegal kidney transactions do happen, problems begin when the donor realising that the middleman has made more money than him, complains. That is when the heads start rolling and the allegation business comes into play''.

"We aren't saying that doctors are totally clean, but we also want to make it clear that they are not in the business to only make money as is being made out. Stealing a kidney is not as simple and though cheating is a possibility that does not mean that all doctors should be part of it. The only person in the complete know-how of things is the middleman, `the illegal link' in the entire trade who is clear about the system inside out and is well aware of the loopholes. It is `he' that we need to target and bring him to book. Also, at times the donor having agreed to a deal earlier can turn around and claim that he has been exploited. In either case the doctor cannot be blamed,'' said Consultant (transplant and general surgery), R.V. S. Yadav, who added that while rules are in place and authorised hospitals have committees to select the donor and follow-up with the recipient, there is very little the doctor can do to police the entire show.

The doctors also claimed that the organ donation laws need to be reworked and may be even reviewed.

"The Centre needs to think on lines of even providing some legal sanctions, because we are aware that many underhand deals are happening, with the donor often becoming the victim, who is left with no rights whatsoever. Also, there is a need to allow more people related to the patient to donate, which would reduce the kidney trade cases that we see around,'' explained V. Kher of Apollo Hospital.

Stating that in view of the large number of cases coming up against the doctors, they are now terrified `of touching a patient', D. Khullar of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said: "There has been a marked reduction in the number of cases that the doctors are taking up now or even the medical students who are opting for this area of super-speciality. In other words, doctors are afraid of doing a kidney transplant because of various legalities attached to it. Doctors can only assist in curing the patient, they can't do police work.''

The doctors are now hoping that with the new cases coming to light, stronger and more stringent measures would be taken to reduce the cases of kidney trade. Until then, the doctors claim that stringent policing is the only way out.

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