Kolkata : Transplant rules flouted; regulator pulls up private hospital

KOLKATA : The Regional Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation has showcaused Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals after it discovered that the patient who received a liver from a deceased donor on October 26 did not figure on the recipients’ list that the hospital had earlier submitted to ROTTO. The hospital has thereafter submitted a list that contains the recipient’s name, but ROTTO has sought an explanation on how and why the discrepency had happened.


“The name of a patient who is undergoing a transplant must be on the recipients’ list with the ROTTO. We understand that the list is dynamic and have asked hospitals to update it every month. In case of an emergency that requires a prospective recipient to supercede another, the hospital has to clearly state the reason before the transplant commences. In this case, the hospital did not. It was only when the recipient was on the operating table that we realised his name did not figure on the recipients’ list with ROTTO,” an official at ROTTO told TOI.

Repeated attempts to contact a senior Apollo Gleneagles official did not elicit a reply. He did not take calls or reply to SMS.

While names of prospective recipients may change due to various factors (the patient may have already undergone a transplant; the patient may be unavailable; the patient may have expired), senior ROTTO officials said giving information upfront is important to ensure ethical practice and maintain transparency.

“We must set precedents when the movement is still in infancy. If we are not satisfied with Apollo’s reply, there will be disciplinary action. It may amount to a warning for now. But if it happens again, it may lead to cancellation of transplant licence for that organ,” the official said.

Other health officials, too, felt maintaining transparency is paramount in deceased organ transplants as it would otherwise breed unethical practices that would not only tarnish the movement but also discourage families from stepping ahead with offer to donate the organs of their loved ones once they are brain dead. “The allocation has to be fair and transparent for the movement to remain credible,” said a senior representative of a non-government organisation involved in creating awareness on deceased organ transplants.