Organ trafficking continues to thrive in India causing great concern for poor patients

Very recently, a disgraceful incident occurred at one of the top most reputed hospitals of New Delhi (also well known for its world class dialysis and Nephrology services) where a criminal gang, allegedly including employees of the high-end hospital, reportedly lured poor individuals to the hospital with the promise to pay them handsomely for their kidneys. However, what the victims received was a pittance compared to the huge sums their organs were resold elsewhere. Also, it was further found on investigation that the unscrupulous gang had used forged documents, wrongly showing that the donors were related to those requiring a transplant to hospital officials.
Such incidents are these days occurring in every corner of our Country. It's not only that Government Hospitals are affected, but private hospitals with well known fame are also coming under scanner for recurrence of such crimes on their premises. There are lakhs of sufferers, young to old age who are in urgent need of a kidney for their living. In India were healthcare with better amenities, softwares, technologies are emerging, such crimes bring in lots of disgrace from all across the globe. The United Nations World Health Organization claimed that despite the official ban, India’s organ market is still existent and resurging. An estimated 2,000 Indians sell a kidney every year. Pakistan, the Philippines and Egypt also have large black markets for kidneys, according to the WHO. Also another health statistical report claimed that an estimated 200,000 people are on waiting lists for legal kidney transplants in India, amongst 3% end up receiving their requirement in time. Actually, Organ donation, specifically kidney donation that has often mounted into a major illegal racket in different parts of the country, is the consequence of a chronic shortage of organs available for transplant in India. The 2011 Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act says that organs can either be retrieved from cadavers or from brain-dead patients with the family’s consent or may be donated by living donors. The process of organ donation involves procurement of comprehensive set of documentation including affidavits with photographs of both the donor and the recipient certified by a first class magistrate. There are in-camera interviews too. Two separate committees for related and unrelated donors evaluate and clear cases. The committee that looks at procedures involving related donors comprises hospital staff, but people who are not part of the treating team. For unrelated donors, there are two nominees of the government who evaluate the cases.
In December 2015, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri. JP Nadda had highlighted the problem in Parliament. He had stated that there was a huge gap between the demand and supply of human organs for transplantation and therefore Government accorded a very high priority for increasing donation of cadaver organs to bridge the gap between demand and supply and save the lives of a large number of persons suffering from end-stage organ failure.

In light of the recent events, Delhi’s government has released an advisory guide to hospitals urging them to “ensure that donation of organs (especially from a living donor) is purely for altruistic reasons”.
But, shall such measures be able to stop the crime and guarantee proper services to ignorant patients. With rising demand, will there be an increase in the supply of organs. Such questions remain unanswered. There is an acute need of Central Government intervention in State health activities and simultaneous proper vigilance in hospitals to curb the rise of organ traffickers.