Two Coimbatore hospitals collaborate for swap liver transplant
A 59-year-old man from Salem was admitted to the GEM Hospital and a 53-year-old man from Tiruppur was admitted to the Sri Ramakrishna Hospital. Both suffered from end-stage liver disease, requiring transplants. While their wives were willing to donate a portion of their liver, the blood group was incompatible, and this ruled out the possibility of direct donation, according to a press release.
Hence, doctors decided to perform a swap liver transplant, and initiated the process required. N. Anand Vijay, Liver Transplant Surgeon, GEM Hospital, said that the blood group of the patient admitted to their hospital was B, and his wife's blood group was A, while the blood group of the patient admitted to the Sri Ramakrishna Hospital was A, and his wife's was B. 'The procedure was discussed with the doctors in Coimbatore, and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Sri Ramakrishna Hospital,' he said.
P. Praveen Raj, Director, GEM Hospitals said that swap transplants were allowed under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, but, so far, were done only within a hospital.. 'Since this was an inter-hospital swap transplant, we had several legal difficulties. The surgeries had to happen simultaneously in the two hospitals, for which a green corridor for about 3.5 km was created between the two hospitals,' he said.
The surgery was performed on July 3. They claimed that this was the first inter-hospital swap liver transplant in the country. Dr. Vijay said that the patients had difficulty in getting clearance from the Authorisation Committee for the swap transplant and, therefore, they approached the Madras High Court and obtained permission. He added that the transplants were covered under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
R. Jayapal, Liver Transplant Surgeon, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, said that this approach helped avoid the need for costly ABO-incompatible liver transplantation.
C. Palanivelu, Founder-Chairman, GEM Hospitals, said that many patients died waiting for organs, including liver, kidney, and lungs, due to the lack of donors.
R. Sundar, Managing Trustee, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, S. Alagappan, Medical Director, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, and Magnus Jayaraj, Transplant Surgeon, GEM Hospital, were present during a press meet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Tamil Nadu suspends organ transplant licence for 2 private hospitals
Tamil Nadu's health department has temporarily suspended the kidney transplant licences of two private hospitals — Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital in Perambalur and Cethar Hospital in Trichy — following an internal inquiry based on complaints alleging the existence of a widespread illegal kidney trade racket, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday. Tamil Nadu suspends organ transplant licence for 2 private hospitals The preliminary probe was conducted by S Vineeth, director of Tamil Nadu Health Systems Reform Project (TNHSRP). Further investigation based on several statements circulated online by alleged kidney donors is currently underway, added the officials. The probe committee headed by Vineeth, comprised Dr R M Meenakshisundari, joint director (Legal), Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, Dr A Rajmohan, joint director of health services, Namakkal and Dr K Marimuthu, joint director of health services in Perambalur and Ariyalur. 'Based on the interim report filed by Dr Vineeth, the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) invoked Section 16 (2) of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, and ordered the temporary suspension of kidney transplant licences given to both hospitals,' a statement from the health department said. Health minister M Subramanian had on July 18 ordered an inquiry into the suspected kidney trafficking racket in Namakkal district. A police complaint was filed on the same day against a man identified as M Anandan on suspicion of brokering illegal kidney donations from poor labourers working in power loom units and dyeing mills in Pallipalayam in the last six months. Organ donations in the state are regulated by Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN), which operates as per India's Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. 'Only voluntary organ donation is permissible. Any selling of any organs is a serious crime,' the health minister said last Friday, adding, 'Anyone found involved in such crime will face action.' The probe has not yet revealed those who have engaged and been complicit in the crime and how much money was allegedly given to the workers, added the officials quoted above.
NDTV
4 days ago
- NDTV
2 Tamil Nadu Hospitals Lose Transplant Licences Over Alleged Kidney Racket
In a major crackdown on a suspected kidney transplantation racket, the Tamil Nadu government has suspended the kidney transplant licences of two private hospitals - Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital in Perambalur, and Cethar Hospitals in Trichy - following a preliminary probe conducted by the state health department. The action came in response to alarming allegations that a broker based in Namakkal was luring poor textile workers into selling their kidneys for money, bypassing organ donation laws. A multi-member team led by Project Director Dr S Vineeth, IAS, conducted field investigations and inspections at both hospitals and in affected areas. Based on their findings, the department submitted a preliminary report, following which the government, under Section 16(2) of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, temporarily suspended the transplant licences of both hospitals. Several individuals who had donated kidneys have since come forward, sharing how they were promised money in exchange for their organs. In one telling instance, a mother of two children claimed she was paid Rs 6.5 lakh for donating a kidney to repay her family's debts and secure financial stability. She alleged that the procedure took place at Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, where she was kept as an inpatient for a week for the transplant. While a police case has been registered and an investigation is underway, it remains unclear whether the hospitals and transplant surgeons were complicit in orchestrating the scam. The case also raises serious questions about the role and effectiveness of the authorisation or screening committees, which are mandated to rigorously verify the genuineness of the relationship between donors and recipients in cases of "living donor" transplants. Unlike cadaveric organ transplants, which are time-consuming and governed by a centralised waiting list, family or related donors can legally donate organs more easily - a loophole allegedly exploited by brokers. Investigators suspect that these middlemen supplied poor donors, preying on their financial desperation, to recipients under false relationships. The state government has reiterated its commitment to ethical transplant practices and has promised strict action against all individuals and institutions found to be in violation of the law. The case is likely to have wide-reaching implications for how transplant protocols are enforced and scrutinised in Tamil Nadu's private healthcare sector.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- New Indian Express
TN suspends kidney transplant licences of two private hospitals over suspected racket
TIRUCHY: The Tamil Nadu government has temporarily suspended the kidney transplant licence granted to two private hospitals, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital in Perambalur and Cethar Hospital in Tiruchy, based on a preliminary inquiry into the suspected kidney sale racket in Namakkal district. In a press release issued on Wednesday, the state health department said the action was based on the report of a high-level committee constituted to probe into the alleged illegal transplant surgeries carried out at private hospitals in Tiruchy and Perambalur in the suspected racket. The probe committee headed by Dr S Vineeth, Director of Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, also included Dr R M Meenakshisundari, Joint Director (Legal), Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services; Dr A Rajmohan, Joint Director of Health Services, Namakkal; Dr K Marimuthu, Joint Director of Health Services, Perambalur and Ariyalur; and Seetharaman, DSP attached to health department. Dr Vineeth conducted inspections at Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital on Tuesday and other locations linked to the reported violations in Nammakal. A health department team led by R M Meenakshisundari also visited Cethar Hospital in Tiruchy on July 18, the release said. Based on the interim report filed by Dr Vineeth, the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) invoked Section 16 (2) of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, and ordered the suspension of kidney transplant licences given to both hospitals temporarily. The press release did not specify how the hospitals were involved in the racket or whether they had monetarily benefited. When TNIE contacted Dr P Senthilkumar, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government, Health and Family Welfare Department, he was unavailable for comment.
