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Kidney transplants suspended: Ministry, IGP to probe Indian media reports
View(s):Allegations that private hospitals in Sri Lanka have been involved in a multi-million rupee kidney transplant racket are being probed by a high level committee appointed by the Health Ministry and its report is expected within three days.
Health Services Director General Palitha Mahipala said yesterday that the committee comprised Dr. Jayasundera Bandara, Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe, Dr. Lakshmi Somatunge, Dr. Rajapriya Balasuriya and Assistant Secretary Rohana de Silva.
Another committee headed by the Health Ministry’s Private Health Services Regulation Council Director Dr Kanthi Ariyaratne is also probing the allegations that as many as 60 kidney transplant operations were performed on patients from India, with middle men and others making millions of rupees.
Dr. Mahipala said that he had asked the Inspector General of Police to carry out investigations on the six Sri Lankan doctors whose names had been mentioned in these unethical kidney transplant operations.
He said the investigations were based mainly on the Indian media reports and that the Indian government or the Indian police had not requested for a probe so far.
Dr. Mahipala also said such transplants themselves were not illegal but if there is substantial proof of a racket in bringing donors and money had exchanged hands, then action could be taken and the doctors concerned could be struck off the Medial Council list.
“It is unethical and illegal to involve money transactions in obtaining donors,” he said.
On Tuesday, India’s Telangana State police said six Sri Lankan doctors were being involved in the kidney-transplant racket. This followed the arrest of a suspect whom the police described as the main racketeer along with six others.
The transplants are alleged to have taken place at four private hospitals in Colombo and suburbs.
The Private Hospital Association in response on Thursday said kidney transplants had been done with the approval of the Health Ministry and there had been no irregularities.
Pending the investigations, the Government had ordered all hospitals to suspend kidney transplants for all foreign patients.
The Government is also reviewing ethical guidelines for organ transplants on foreign patients to ensure that donors are not bought for money but organs are donated only on altruistic grounds.
Private Health Services Regulation Council Director Dr Kanthi Ariyaratne said she had this week summoned a meeting of officials of the private hospitals performing organ transplants and issued the new guidelines the hospitals have to follow before presenting cases for approval by the Health Ministry.