Cops told to check doctor’s call records

A report by a three-member panel of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS ) has alleged that Dr Mukesh Shete, a nephrologist who is under the scanner in the kidney donation racket at LH Hiranandani Hospital, may have been involved with the middle agents and, to ascertain the same, it says, “The call detail records of Dr Mukesh Shete should be checked by DCP, Zone 10, to find out if he was in contact with agents who were trading human organs.”

A panel comprising comprising Dr Gauri Rathod, assistant director, DHS; Dr Sujata Patwardhan and Dr Kalpana Mehta, has made 10 recommendations in its probe report. It has also asked the Powai police to include the names of all the five doctors in the FIR and book for breaching the rules and section of the TOHA Act. “Communication should be made to the Maharashtra Medical Council about the breaches in the Act by the doctors and also medical negligence by them,” states the report.

These recommendations include steps to be taken by hospitals to prevent such organ donation rackets and the action that the Mumbai police should initiate against doctors involved.

The panel has also recommended that changes need to be made urgently to prevent and curb organ donation rackets in the city and state.

One of the steps it suggested is to make the organ donation procedure foolproof and put in place standard operating procedures (SOPs). “The authorisation committee should give permission to link organ donation to Aadhaar cards,” states the report.

When asked about the same, a DHS member explained, “Both donors and recipients will now be linked via their Aadhaar card number.

This will ensure transparency and also reduce chances of fake documents and do away with touts bringing in people to sell their kidneys for monetary gains.”

The report recommends that hospitals should train their staff about the Transplant of Human Organs Act (TOHA).

“The copy of the act should be made compulsory in all hospitals and consultants should be trained about the act,” it states. In addition to this, hospitals should create more awareness about cadaver donation and that also take every possible measure to curb organ donation.

Apart from steps to prevent an organ donation racket, the DHS report also asks that appropriate action be taken against the doctors involved. It was on the basis of the report that the Powai police arrested five doctors Dr Sujit Chatterjee, CEO; Dr Anurag Naik, medical director; Dr Shete; and urologists Dr Mukesh Shah and Dr Prakash Shetty.