Denying any foul play in transplant of hearts and lungs from cadavers in foreign patients in Tamil Nadu, State Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar on Tuesday informed the Assembly that heart transplants are offered by hospitals to foreigners only after going through the waiting list of all Indian patients registered in the system.
Concern in Assembly
The Minister’s response came after opposition legislators raised the issue of protocols being subverted in organ transplants, citing a report in Tuesday’s edition of The Hindu.
The report had highlighted that the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) had raised concerns about organs being given to foreigners, bypassing Indian patients on the wait list.
Later the Minister told journalists, “Even the slightest accusation will be inquired. The Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu is very transparent. We are working on ways to improve the transparency. Nearly five months ago, during a meeting, we decided to do away with the ‘supra-urgent’ category that is a red alert issued in case a patient is in need of a heart transplant in two to three days. We have ensured that all organ transplants are done as per seniority on the wait list.”
Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, who accompanied the Minister, said the Director of Medical Services (DMS) will (examine and) “understand” the circumstances in which Indian patients could not get hearts for transplantation in certain cases in private hospitals. He told The Hindu that the department would look into all the issues.
Self-corrective measures
“We cannot draw a conclusion from a very small clutch that is mentioned in the report. At every stage, it goes for a self-corrective measure under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act,” he added.
According to Mr. Vijaya Baskar, when an organ is donated, there are many medical factors that have to be taken into account —the age, size of the heart, blood group, blood group compatibility — for transplantation.
“We have to transplant a heart within six hours of harvesting it, or else, it will be wasted,” the Minister said.
