Investigate hospitals flouting rules in transplants of human organs. Rajeev urges Karnataka Health M

Letter to Health Minister

December 26, 2012

Dear

It has been brought to my notice that a number of private hospitals in Bangalore have allegedly flouted the rules and provisions of Transplantation of Human Organs Act - that facilitates transplantation of human organs to the needy patients and also prevent commercial dealing in human organs - and allegedly carried out transplant surgeries on foreigner patients and the donors who accompany them and visit India on tourist visa.

Also, I have been informed that despite it being mandatory, registered hospitals have not published complete details of transplant surgeries on their website raising questions about the surgeries they carry out.

As you may be aware, this is not the first instance of reports of malpractices by private hospitals. In September, 2011 the registration of a leading hospital in Bangalore was suspended the State Government for carrying on transplant surgeries without authorization and prior to that another hospital’s registration was cancelled for gross violations of the Act - an issue that I took up with the Chief Minister of Karnataka and Union Minister for Health.

These charges are serious and are against the law and spirit of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act that was enacted to facilitate transplantation of human organs to the needy patients and to prevent commercial dealing in human organs.

Therefore, I urge your immediate intervention on the following:

Have this matter investigated for instances of malpractices for the past three years and if it if established that private hospitals have flouted rules and regulations while conducting transplant surgeries on foreigner patients visiting India on tourist visas, stringent action against be initiated against such hospitals.
Ensure that all registered hospitals compulsorily publish complete details of transplant surgeries on their website - as required by the Transplantation of Human Organs Act.

I look forward to your immediate intervention and action on this matter.

Yours sincerely,
RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR