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Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
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Anbumani: CBI will probe kidney trade racket

Special Correspondent

Centre to make organ transplant Act more transparent

Anbumani Ramadoss

NEW DELHI: The Centre will seek a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the kidney trade racket unearthed in Gurgaon, Haryana, last week. It will also amend the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 to make it more transparent and punishments more stringent, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the racket involved Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, and also foreign nationals.

“We have also asked the Haryana government to check such activities and bring the culprits to book and inform the Centre of the measures being taken,” he said.

Simplifying procedures

In Amending the Act, the Ministry would simplify procedures, but make punishments more stringent for violators.

“All organ transplants would have to be notified and all intensive care units will have to report about brain dead patients to the Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO).”

The ORBOs in the four metros would be linked to such centres coming up in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Guwahati.

The Ministry would launch in a couple of months a national organ transplant programme to create awareness of organ donation and the procedures to be followed, Dr. Ramadoss said.

As for the proposed amendments, the Ministry has already drafted rules to make approvals more liberalised. But for enhancing punishment, the Act will have to go back to Parliament.

The onus of proving that no money has been exchanged for organ transplant will lie with the donor and the recipient.

At present, it is difficult to prove that money has been given in lieu of the organ, and donors and recipients are often faked as relatives.

First complaint

The medical fraternity has suggested that the maximum punishment be raised from 5 to 7-year imprisonment, and the complaint should first go to the magistrate instead of to the police as it is difficult to lodge a case.

Also, it has been suggested that the transplantation team should not be on the authorisation committee.

This is to ensure that the surgeon concerned does not influence the committee decision.

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