The Hindu : New Delhi News : Centre to ask CBI to probe kidney racket

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Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
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New Delhi

Centre to ask CBI to probe kidney racket

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Centre will seek a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the unprecedented kidney trade racket unearthed in Gurgaon this past week.

It will also amend the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, to make it more transparent and punishment more stringent, said Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss here on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, 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.

In amending the Act, the Ministry would simplify procedures, but make punishment 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),” said the Union Minister.

The ORBOs in the four metros would be linked to such centres coming up in Lucknow, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Guwahati. The Ministry would launch in a couple of months a national organ transplant programme to create public awareness about organ donation and the procedures to be followed, Dr. Ramadoss said. As for the proposed amendments, the Health 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.

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

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