Hyderabad: City nephrologists are wary following the arrest of the CEO of Hiranandani Hospital in Mumbai in a kidney racket. Most cases of live donor transplants are of women donating kidneys to their husbands.
Senior nephrologists who conduct transplants said that women often come forward to donate kidneys to their husbands if the blood groups match. Whether she is doing so under pressure is not looked into.
A senior doctor on condition of anonymity said, “Women are not asked whether they are willfully doing it or are being forced. The point that she has come forward to donate is considered important and not ‘under what circumstances’.”
In the Mumbai case, the transplant was stopped after it came to light that the wife was “fake” and the businessman was giving her money for the kidney.
In a live-donor transplant, the health of the donor and willingness to part with the organ is very important and has to be considered.
Indian Society of Nephrology president, Dr Pradeep Deshpande, who is also the head of the nephrology department at Gandhi Hospital, said, “The protocol clearly states that the donor has to be explained the risks involved in organ donation. These have to be clearly specified and only then consent has to be taken.”
He said the Mumbai incident was a matter of concern. “It is very important that young doctors are counselled to follow the Human Organ Transplant Act. Verifi-cation of facts can be done by smart questioning, which is the tactic most of us use while interviewing donors,” he said.
In TS and AP, a committee of private and government doctors interviews donors before giving the green signal for transplant. The files are scrutinised by the director of health and medical education.
But senior nephrologists say that there must be an advocate in the committee who can also enlighten all parties about the legal aspects, which is very important for the donor, recipient and the doctors.
Senior nephrologist Dr Ashok Reddy said, “The problem can be reduced if cadaver donation is encouraged. Over 4.5 lakh patients in the country develop kidney problems and come to physicians only at the end stage. More than 1 lakh patients are on dialysis and are waiting for transplants. The demand is high and the supply is low, and that’s where the problems arise.”
