NEW DELHI, 30 January 2008 — The government plans to change the National Organ Transplant Act to punish organ thieves in the wake of a kidney scam unearthed last week on the outskirts of the national capital. An inquiry by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will also look into the illegal kidney transplant racket.
“Since it (the racket) may involve several states and cities like Mumbai, Noida and Gurgaon, we will soon be requesting the CBI to undertake a detailed investigation and give a comprehensive report on how widespread the problem is,” Health Minister Anbumani Ramdoss said yesterday at a news conference. With the racket spread over several states with international links, it would not be possible for state agencies to conduct the investigation properly. Therefore, a CBI probe is needed, Ramdoss said.
“We have asked the Haryana government to take steps and also sought some more information from them regarding the kind of steps they have taken,” Ramdoss said, referring to the racket unearthed in Gurgaon.
Without elaborating on the amendments planned, the minister said: “The amendment to the act will be two-pronged. It will try to make it simpler and more transparent.” Any transplant in the country will be mentioned online.
Besides, punishment would be enhanced for those indulging in illegal trade of organs. The Health Ministry has suggested two to seven years of jail term for those found guilty. Activities of private nursing homes, private doctors and middlemen involved in the organ transplant business will be strictly monitored.
“A draft of the Organ Transplant Amendment Act is being prepared and it will be presented to Parliament in the current budget session,” Ramdoss said.
The new act will make it binding for parties involved in organ transplant to furnish relevant details of the donor and beneficiary online. The Health Ministry will constitute an authorization committee, which will ensure that only close relatives of the patient donate their organs after recommendation by a panel of authorized doctors.
To create awareness about organ transplant, Ramdoss said: “A major mass-media campaign will be organized to bring about a change in people’s behavior so that they are willing to donate organs.”
In the racket unearthed last week, kidney donors were mostly laborers from Meerut, Ghaziabad and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, with a few from Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. The victims’ kidneys were bought for between 100,000 ($2,550) rupees and 200,000 rupees. There were case in which they were not paid a penny. The same kidneys were sold to patients from the United States, Britain and Greece for up to 1.8 million rupees ($45,800). Five foreigners were arrested last week in the kidney racket. The foreigners, including two Americans, were waiting for a kidney. There was a waiting list of 40 foreigners from at least five countries. Up to 600 kidneys are believed to have been stolen or purchased from the poor, officials said.
The kingpin of the racket, Dr. Amit Singh, is believed to have fled to Canada. Police raided his Gurgaon residence yesterday. They arrested Amit’s brother Jeevan and would be conducting brain mapping and lie detector tests on him. Police have also urged CBI to approach the Interpol and secure a red corner notice against key suspects.
