Lonodon:Another private hospital in Mumbai is now under the scanner of the Maharashtra government for having allegedly attempted a kidney donation earlier this year that could have been illegal.
Taking suo motu cognizance, the state government will now initiate an inquiry into a case at Global Hospital in Parel, central Mumbai, where a young man offered to donate a kidney to his father, a patient from Jaipur. While the hospital’s local authorisation committee had approved the transplant in March, a six-member panel of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) reviewed the case and rejected the approval stating that the donation was “not out of love and affection”. The panel said the “donor is possibly looking for some benefit out of the transplant”.
Documents with the DMER show that the donor, Rishabh Dhangache (21), was not a biological son of Suresh Dhangache (51), who required the kidney transplant.
“After the kidney racket came to light, we had suspicions regarding this particular case too as the donor and the recipient acted in an unusual manner,” a member from the DMER committee that rejected the approval told The Indian Express.
Global Hospital, however, denied knowledge of any such inquiry. “We have been compliant with the law. And all procedures for organ transplant are being followed,” Manpreet Singh Sohal, CEO of Global Hospital, told The Indian Express.
According to the case documents with the DMER, the donor and the recipient also approached the medical education department in Mantralaya in appeal against the DMER’s rejection. They were given a date for a hearing. “But they ran away with the documents. We have a video-recording of their interview,” said a senior health department official.
“We will send the hospital a notice soon. We have asked the DMER to give us the documents in this case,” said a DHS official.
According to the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, every live organ transplant requires permission from a six-member local authorisation committee formed by the hospital. The committee has two doctors, the hospital’s medical director, one state government officer and two members appointed by the hospital. The quorum for the meeting to be held is four.
If the patient is from outside Maharashtra, a second approval is required from the DMER.
The DMER committee comprises its director, the DHS director, the dean of JJ Hospital, two medical social workers and a retired DHS joint director.
According to Dr Pravin Shingare, Director at DMER, about 90 per cent cases referred to the DMER are usually approved.
After the kidney racket was busted at the Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, suburban Mumbai, on July 14, the health department is now looking into past cases for possible discrepancies. A three-member committee formed under the DHS is currently investigating four kidney transplants at the Powai hospital.
Meanwhile, probe is on against five doctors and transplant coordinator of Hiranandani Hospital. The DHS officials said, their probe into the Hiranandani transplants will now focus on the role of Kamble, suspected to be a crucial link between alleged kingpin Bhijendra Bhisen and the hospital.
Another private hospital in Mumbai is now under the scanner of the Maharashtra government for having allegedly attempted a kidney donation earlier this year that could have been illegal.
Taking suo motu cognizance, the state government will now initiate an inquiry into a case at Global Hospital in Parel, central Mumbai, where a young man offered to donate a kidney to his father, a patient from Jaipur. While the hospital’s local authorisation committee had approved the transplant in March, a six-member panel of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) reviewed the case and rejected the approval stating that the donation was “not out of love and affection”. The panel said the “donor is possibly looking for some benefit out of the transplant”.
Documents with the DMER show that the donor, Rishabh Dhangache (21), was not a biological son of Suresh Dhangache (51), who required the kidney transplant.
“After the kidney racket came to light, we had suspicions regarding this particular case too as the donor and the recipient acted in an unusual manner,” a member from the DMER committee that rejected the approval told The Indian Express.
Global Hospital, however, denied knowledge of any such inquiry. “We have been compliant with the law. And all procedures for organ transplant are being followed,” Manpreet Singh Sohal, CEO of Global Hospital, told The Indian Express.
According to the case documents with the DMER, the donor and the recipient also approached the medical education department in Mantralaya in appeal against the DMER’s rejection. They were given a date for a hearing. “But they ran away with the documents. We have a video-recording of their interview,” said a senior health department official.
“We will send the hospital a notice soon. We have asked the DMER to give us the documents in this case,” said a DHS official.
According to the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, every live organ transplant requires permission from a six-member local authorisation committee formed by the hospital. The committee has two doctors, the hospital’s medical director, one state government officer and two members appointed by the hospital. The quorum for the meeting to be held is four.
If the patient is from outside Maharashtra, a second approval is required from the DMER.
The DMER committee comprises its director, the DHS director, the dean of JJ Hospital, two medical social workers and a retired DHS joint director.
According to Dr Pravin Shingare, Director at DMER, about 90 per cent cases referred to the DMER are usually approved.
After the kidney racket was busted at the Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, suburban Mumbai, on July 14, the health department is now looking into past cases for possible discrepancies. A three-member committee formed under the DHS is currently investigating four kidney transplants at the Powai hospital.
Meanwhile, probe is on against five doctors and transplant coordinator of Hiranandani Hospital. The DHS officials said, their probe into the Hiranandani transplants will now focus on the role of Kamble, suspected to be a crucial link between alleged kingpin Bhijendra Bhisen and the hospital.
