5 doctors including CEO, Medical Director arrested in Kidney racket
On 9th August, 2016, CEO, Medical Director and three doctors of Dr. L H Hiranandani hospital, Powai, were arrested by Mumbai Police. The aforementioned were allegedly involved in a kidney racket which was discovered last month. CEO Dr. Sujit Chatterjee, Medical Director Dr. Anurag Naik, Dr. Mukesh Shetye, Dr. Mukesh Shah and Dr. Prakash Shetye were arrested under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act.
Under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, applications for organ transplant can be cleared by hospitals only in cases where the donor and patient are related by blood or are spouses. If the two are unrelated, the state government has to approve the application.
On 9th August, 2016, CEO, Medical Director and three doctors of Dr. L H Hiranandani hospital, Powai, were arrested by Mumbai Police. The aforementioned were allegedly involved in a kidney racket which was discovered last month. CEO Dr. Sujit Chatterjee, Medical Director Dr. Anurag Naik, Dr. Mukesh Shetye, Dr. Mukesh Shah and Dr. Prakash Shetye were arrested under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act.
An FIR was lodged on 13th July, 2016, under several sections of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. This FIR was based on a tip-off from a social worker named Mahesh Tanna.
On a tip-off received by a social worker, a kidney-transplant operation was stopped by the Police on 15th July, 2016. Surat-resident Brijkishore Jaiswal, an end-stage kidney failure patient, was receiving a kidney from donor Shobha Thakur, who was from Gujarat. Shown to be his wife under the name Rekha Jaiswal, Shobha Thakur was actually selling her kidney in exchange for Rs.3 lakh.
The doctors were arrested under Sections 12 and 21 of the IPC under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act. According to Section 12, every medical practitioner has to explain the effects, complications and hazards related to organ transplant operations to both patient and donor. Section 21 states that any company committing an offence conniving with, or neglected by any officer shall be held guilty.
Nilesh Kamble is a transplant coordinator at L H Hiranandani Hospital and is said to have cleared over 100 forged kidney transplant papers in his 3 years of employment.
