Hyderabad: Health minister C Damodar Raja Narasimha on Friday directed health officials to transfer the kidney racket case involving Alakananda hospital in Hyderabad to the
Crime Investigation Department (CID) for an in-depth probe. He instructed health secretary Christina Z Chongthu to issue the necessary orders immediately.
In a review meeting with officials, the minister recommended informing the govts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka about the racket. He examined a preliminary report from a committee of doctors, which revealed that Alakananda hospital lacked permission to perform transplant surgeries, which were conducted in violation of regulations.
"The govt will not tolerate such illegal activities," the minister asserted during the meeting. He recalled a similar case in Kerala and called for an investigation into any possible links between that incident and the current case. The minister also highlighted previous allegations involving private ambulance drivers in illegal organ transplants and ordered an inquiry into this.
Raja Narasimha instructed officials to monitor surgeries in hospitals closely and to improve the recording of surgical details, similar to how information about pregnant women is documented. He stressed that all details should be thoroughly evaluated when granting permissions and renewing hospital registrations. Additionally, he ordered strict action against negligent officials in the approval process.
Earlier, Raja Narasimha had ordered an audit of organ transplants in private hospitals. Officials revealed that individuals from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana were involved in the illegal activities. The investigation uncovered that the hospital preyed on financially vulnerable individuals, misleading them into donating their kidneys. specifically, kidneys of two women from Tamil Nadu were removed and transplanted into recipients from Karnataka at Alakananda hospital.
Alakananda hospital has been seized, and the owner has been arrested by the police. Officials emphasised the need for a comprehensive investigation into the case.
Sribala Vadlapatla is a Senior Assistant Editor with 15 years of ...
Read MoreSribala Vadlapatla is a Senior Assistant Editor with 15 years of experience at The Times of India and 30 years overall in mainstream and web journalism. She covers Telangana's political, economic, health, technological, and socio-cultural topics, and is deeply interested in policy, governance, emerging technologies, international affairs, economy and music.
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