The Indian Medical Association has appealed to the Chief Minister to conduct a detailed investigation into the propaganda unleashed on social media, apparently deliberately, against deceased donor organ donation which has adversely affected Mrithasanjeevani, the State government-run deceased donation programme.
The IMA said that an organised mafia seemed to be in play in the State, which was consistently derailing all attempts by the authorities and the IMA to promote deceased donor organ donation.
It is an open secret that organ donation from unrelated living donors has emerged as a huge business in the State, with the involvement of middlemen and transactions involving lakhs for each donation. These middlemen get away with huge commissions and are in fact exploiting those end-stage organ failure patients desperately seeking organs and donors, who are lured into the racket with the offer of money.
Mafia benefits
The downfall of Mrithasanjeevani has been benefiting this mafia, which reportedly collects ₹20 lakh-₹25 lakh for a kidney, a chunk of which goes towards commissions. Hence it should be suspected that they are also behind attempts to bring down Mrithasanjeevani, IMA said in its petition to Pinarayi Vijayan.
If over 100 deceased organ donations used to happen through Mrithasanjeevani till 2016, the number of donations has dwindled to single digits in subsequent years.
A massive campaign seems to have been unleashed on social media, publicising fake videos and unleashing a misinformation campaign against deceased organ donation
‘Expose middlemen’
The IMA demanded that the government publish the details of organ donations in the State from living donors from 2016 and launch an investigation into possible financial deals behind these donations.
The association said that middlemen involved in organ donation from living donors should be exposed and more efforts must be made towards resurrecting Mrithasanjeevani, which has given a new lease of life to hundreds of indigent patients on waiting list for organs.