Kidney racket: Why is this Mumbai hospital and its doctors under the scanner?

A look at what the case is all about and the ongoing developments around the issue

A day after five doctors, associated with Mumbai’s LH Hiranandani Hospital, were arrested by the Mumbai Police in connection with a kidney racket, media reports state that more arrests are likely. Among the arrested so far is the CEO of the hospital, Dr Sujit Chatterjee.

The arrested will remain in police custody till August 13. A metropolitan magistrate court felt that the interrogation of the doctors was needed in the probe. 

Senior doctors and neurologists from the fraternity have come out in support of the arrested, seeking further clarity on their (doctors’) role in processing papers for the transplant. 

What is the case all about? Why are top doctors being questioned in the case? Here’s all you need to know about the issue. 

How it all started?

The Mumbai Police cracked down on the hospital’s premises, located at the Powai suburb in the city, after receiving a tip off regarding an illegal kidney transplant. The case in question involved a resident of Surat, Brijkishore Jaiswal, who was set to receive a kidney from Shobha Thakur. Thakur was shown as Rekha Devi, wife of Jaiswal, in the papers that were processed, whereas it has been stated that the two had not known each other. 

In fact, the Mumbai Police states that Thakur had been promised Rs 3 lakh for the organ, a report on news portal Scroll.in states.

Following the crackdown, an assistant manager in the hospital’s organ transplant division was arrested the next day. A sum of Rs 8 lakh in cash was also recovered from the manager’s house. 

Initial investigations by the cops revealed the role of one Bhijendra Bisen who allegedly lures poor people from Gujarat to sell their kidneys.

Three-member committee

Post the arrests, the state health department set up a three-member committee to probe the role of the hospital and its doctors that were involved in the transplant of Jaiswal, the report adds. It was during this probe, a senior urologist, Dr. Mukesh Shah, and nephrologist Dr Mukesh Shete’s role had come under the scanner.  

Jaiswal, the accused who was set to receive the kidney, told the panel that Shete was present in a meeting that involved discussions over exchange of money with the mastermind of the racket. 

The committee, in its report, went on to conclude that three doctors were directly involved in the illegal kidney transplant, while two others showed negligence, according to a Hindustan Times report. 

Modus operandi

The mastermind of the racket allegedly prepared forged documents for the transplant to go through. Money is also believed to have exchanged hands, raising a stink over the Rs 8 lakh cash recovered from the manager.   

What the law states?

As per Transplantations of Human Organs Act, live organ donations are allowed only among relatives and not anyone else. And the operating doctor, the hospital and an authoritisation committee is supposed to undertake due diligence of both the parties. 

In this case, the committee found that the doctors were casual in their approach, the Scroll.in report states. In fact, the doctors claimed to have met the donor and the recipient just 15 minutes before the surgery was said to have take place — a claim that took the panel by surprise. 

Is this the first case at the hospital?

The mastermind of the racket also told the committee that he had helped forging documents for two other transplants that have been conducted at the hospital. 

“We have learnt that two unrelated individuals were show as siblings to get the permission of the transplant,” a committee member told Scroll.in. “We are going to call them for the inquiry.”