Penury, money, greed fuel Namakkal kidney racket
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On Wednesday, the committee headed by Tamil Nadu health systems reform project director S Vineeth will submit a report after a probe into complaints by some victims from Namakkal. The details have been kept confidential. "But we can tell you organs were sold. In some cases, there was exploitation. Stories related by some were emotional," said one of the officials. In July, the health department suspended the kidney transplant licences of two private hospitals — Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital in Perambalur, and Cethar Hospital in Trichy.
Officials say agents in the region have a wider network. "But our mandate is limited to a particular time and region. We will stick to that," a committee member. This is just the tip of the iceberg, a committee member added.
The sale of organs is banned in the country under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, yet illegal trade has flourished in the state. Health minister Ma Subramanian said complaints about kidney sales from the region came in 2010.
"Based on a police report, an acknowledgement was issued. The case did not progress further," he said. "Had some people been arrested then, it would have dismantled the illegal network," he said.
Two days ago, Tamil Nadu bagged the national award for harvesting organs from more than 250 patients in 2024. The same year, the state recorded 1,890 kidney transplants. While 456 were organs from deceased donors (two kidneys from each donor), the remaining 1,434 were from relatives.
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"Most families wait for cadaver donation or look for a donor in the illegal market because they don't want two people from the same family to be sick," said a senior transplant coordinator at a private hospital.When donors are not related but have an "emotional connection" with the patient, hospitals do the transplant only if the appropriate authority – a team of doctors in the directorate of medical services – approves it.
"Rejections are rare," said senior nephrologist Dr P Soundararajan. "Most donors are tutored well before they meet the committee. Doctors in the panel also don't ask tough questions because they don't want to delay genuine cases, where patients are desperate and families are emotional," he added.
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Chennai: Poverty of potential donors, desperation of renal failure patients, and avarice of private hospitals have ensured that organ trade thrives in the state through a well-oiled network. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On Wednesday, the committee headed by Tamil Nadu health systems reform project director S Vineeth will submit a report after a probe into complaints by some victims from Namakkal. The details have been kept confidential. "But we can tell you organs were sold. In some cases, there was exploitation. Stories related by some were emotional," said one of the officials. In July, the health department suspended the kidney transplant licences of two private hospitals — Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital in Perambalur, and Cethar Hospital in Trichy. Officials say agents in the region have a wider network. "But our mandate is limited to a particular time and region. We will stick to that," a committee member. This is just the tip of the iceberg, a committee member added. The sale of organs is banned in the country under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, yet illegal trade has flourished in the state. Health minister Ma Subramanian said complaints about kidney sales from the region came in 2010. "Based on a police report, an acknowledgement was issued. The case did not progress further," he said. "Had some people been arrested then, it would have dismantled the illegal network," he said. Two days ago, Tamil Nadu bagged the national award for harvesting organs from more than 250 patients in 2024. The same year, the state recorded 1,890 kidney transplants. While 456 were organs from deceased donors (two kidneys from each donor), the remaining 1,434 were from relatives. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Most families wait for cadaver donation or look for a donor in the illegal market because they don't want two people from the same family to be sick," said a senior transplant coordinator at a private donors are not related but have an "emotional connection" with the patient, hospitals do the transplant only if the appropriate authority – a team of doctors in the directorate of medical services – approves it. "Rejections are rare," said senior nephrologist Dr P Soundararajan. "Most donors are tutored well before they meet the committee. Doctors in the panel also don't ask tough questions because they don't want to delay genuine cases, where patients are desperate and families are emotional," he added.
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