Doctors to PMO: NHL sells bodies to MNCs

AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office has directed the state government to investigate allegations made by Dr Jitendra Patel of NHL Municipal Medical College that cadavers donated for use by medical students were being given to multinational companies for monetary gains.
Dr Jitendra Patel is head of the anatomy department of city-based NHL Municipal Medical College.He has alleged that dead bodies donated to the institute for educational and research purposes were being handed over to multinational companies for their research work by the management of the college for financial gains.
Citing the letter from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) written in response to Dr Patel’s complaint, the urban development department has directed the commissioner of Ahmedabad municipal corporation (AMC) to reply ‘suitably’ and ‘promptly’ to Patel and the PMO on the issue.
Municipal commissioner D Thara alleged that Dr Patel was ‘notorious’ for sending applications after he was denied promotion. The NHL cadaver lab is not the only lab which is permitting companies to do research. "We are not selling the bodies. We are just allowing researchers from the companies to do research on the hospital premises after charging a fee. Even institutes like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) allow this practice which is permissible under the law," said Thara.
NHL dean Pankaj Patel said that the complaint was false and baseless. “Dr Jitendra Patel has filed a false complaint as he was denied promotion.” Experts in the city also said that such practice was normal at other cadaver labs across the country.
In his complaint, Dr Jitendra Patel has stated that the Cadaver Surgical Laboratory (CSL) was set up at the NHL Municipal Medical College in June 2010 at the cost of Rs 4-5 crore. The lab was to assist in education and training of post-graduate students and resident doctors of the institute.