CHANDIGARH: Misleading information by kingpin of the kidney transplant scam, with roots in Mohali and Chandigarh, unearthed by Lucknow police recently, has led UP police to scrutinize the role of two hospitals in Mohali.
"The kingpin had said that only seven transplants were carried out whereas until Tuesday, but the number of such surgeries swelled to 20. We are expecting over 100 such surgeries. All these patients were lured by the same gang into illegal donation," said station officer, A D Dwivedi, Ashiana police station in Lucknow, where the gang was busted.
D K Thakur, DIG Lucknow, said, "We will probe the role of Silver Oaks and Surya Kidney Centre soon. A team will be sent to Mohali for further investigations, though the kingpin has refused any connection with these two hospitals."
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen as to who approved the surgeries. While the final authority is the state approval committee, formed under Transplant of Human Organs Act 1994, which verifies the credentials of both the donor and the recipient, the panel does not even have data about how many legal transplants have taken place in Mohali hospitals.
Dr Akhil Bhargava, managing director, Silver Oaks, said, "We get all our transplant surgeries approved by the Punjab authorisation committee. It cannot be possible that we go ahead with surgeries without their approval. We have conducted 14 kidney transplants in the past six months, which have all been approved by the authorization committee."
However, committee chairman Dr Jai Kishan, said, "There are many hospitals in Punjab which do not seek approval from us. The civil surgeon has been asked to verify reports of patients in both the hospitals."
Surya Kidney Centre, functioning from a rented accommodation at Mohali's Shivalik Hospital, has been operational since May 1, 2010. When contacted, owner of the hospital, Dr Arjinder Bains, refused to talk. "A team of civil surgeons has come to check our records and I am busy with these. I cannot talk," he said.
Box:
Patient records seized
Following Mohali deputy commissioner's order to verify the documents of Surya Kidney Centre and Silver Oaks, a team led by Mohali civil surgeon Dr Usha Bansal on Wednesday seized the records of patients, who have undergone kidney transplant in the past few years. "We have seized almost 100 such records from Surya Centre and around 14 from Silver Oaks," she said. Mohali DC, Varun Roojam, had ordered that the inquiry be concluded by December 30.
Kidney racket: Role of 2 Mohali hospitals under lens - The Times of India
"The kingpin had said that only seven transplants were carried out whereas until Tuesday, but the number of such surgeries swelled to 20. We are expecting over 100 such surgeries. All these patients were lured by the same gang into illegal donation," said station officer, A D Dwivedi, Ashiana police station in Lucknow, where the gang was busted.
D K Thakur, DIG Lucknow, said, "We will probe the role of Silver Oaks and Surya Kidney Centre soon. A team will be sent to Mohali for further investigations, though the kingpin has refused any connection with these two hospitals."
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen as to who approved the surgeries. While the final authority is the state approval committee, formed under Transplant of Human Organs Act 1994, which verifies the credentials of both the donor and the recipient, the panel does not even have data about how many legal transplants have taken place in Mohali hospitals.
Dr Akhil Bhargava, managing director, Silver Oaks, said, "We get all our transplant surgeries approved by the Punjab authorisation committee. It cannot be possible that we go ahead with surgeries without their approval. We have conducted 14 kidney transplants in the past six months, which have all been approved by the authorization committee."
However, committee chairman Dr Jai Kishan, said, "There are many hospitals in Punjab which do not seek approval from us. The civil surgeon has been asked to verify reports of patients in both the hospitals."
Surya Kidney Centre, functioning from a rented accommodation at Mohali's Shivalik Hospital, has been operational since May 1, 2010. When contacted, owner of the hospital, Dr Arjinder Bains, refused to talk. "A team of civil surgeons has come to check our records and I am busy with these. I cannot talk," he said.
Box:
Patient records seized
Following Mohali deputy commissioner's order to verify the documents of Surya Kidney Centre and Silver Oaks, a team led by Mohali civil surgeon Dr Usha Bansal on Wednesday seized the records of patients, who have undergone kidney transplant in the past few years. "We have seized almost 100 such records from Surya Centre and around 14 from Silver Oaks," she said. Mohali DC, Varun Roojam, had ordered that the inquiry be concluded by December 30.
Kidney racket: Role of 2 Mohali hospitals under lens - The Times of India
