Verification circular withdrawn, but hospitals still to vet proposals to rule out money deal

Pune: The state director of medical education and research (DMER), in its latest circular, has insisted that the competent authority of the hospitals shall examine the overall facts and circumstances relating to organ transplant proposals and check aspects to rule out commercial transactions for the state or the district-level authorisation committees to effectively evaluate these proposals.
The DMER issued the circular on May 9 after the Association of Hospitals, Pune, moved the Bombay high court against the DMER’s April 11 circular that had put the entire onus of document verification on the hospitals. The state then on May 6 informed the HC that the April 11 circular was being withdrawn and an appropriate circular would be issued.
After the kidney transplant row at the Ruby Hall Clinic, the state directorate of health services (DHS) had constituted a four-member competent authority to look into the matter. DHS went on to suspend the hospital’s organ transplant licence for six months. The DMER also set up a panel to inquire into how the regional organ transplant authorisation committee at the BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital (which is now placed under suspension) processed the documents for the transplant at the Ruby Hall Clinic.
The Ruby Hall Clinic moved the HC against the suspension of its licence and the court ordered a stay on it on April 20. Hospital’s counsel SR Nargolkar had submitted that the suspension was illegal in view of an HC judgment holding that it’s not the duty of the hospital to verify documents and establish the identity of patients.
Officiating DMER Dr Ajay Chandanwale told TOI, “The DMER committee has submitted the report to the state. Now, it is for the state and the police to act on this report.”