The Andhra Pradesh organ transplant committee has halted permission to four suspected organ transplant proposals and is taking cautious steps with regard to granting permission to organ transplantations involving foreign donors or recipients.

In the light of a recent case of Prof. Chaturvedi, a former employee of KIMS (Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences) who has been arrested in Uganda for involving in a case relating to kidney transplantation from a foreign donor, the state government has been taking corrective steps and not permitting organ transplantation especially for donors or recipients involving foreign nationals.

Taking this into consideration, the state organ transplant committee has put on hold four kidney transplant cases for foreign patients and the committee is reviewing the suspected commercial intentions of the donors.

The director of Medical Education and other members have put these transplants on hold. While the private hospital that has put forth the proposal has portrayed the medical emergency of the patient, the committee feels that while the intentions of the recipients would be on the medical grounds that of the donor are not clear.

Director of medical education Dr Shankar Rao said, “We are reviewing the cases, till all the members are satisfied that the intention is purely based on human grounds of compassion and charity. The proposals of the private hospitals will not be cleared until then.”

Of late it has come to the notice of the committee that many patients from African countries are opting  for India for organ donations. The increasing number of such cases has prompted them to be careful. Last year, two cases of foreign patients were under scrutiny as the recipients had alleged that the donors had demanded money. The issue is now before the courts.

According to senior doctors, some foreign patients contact donors online.  At hospital level they conduct all diagnostic tests required before a donation is worked out and then they go for clearance from the organ transplant committee. But in some cases it is found that the recipients and donors have shared a lot of information like blood group, lipid profile etc. An understanding is reached even before they approach the hospital. In such cases, it creates doubt about the donor’s true intentions.

In view of such doubtful cases, the state organ committee is moving cautiously and taking all the necessary steps to confirm the genuineness and essentiality of the cases and preventing illegal organ trafficking in the state.