The Telangana Health Department has constituted a committee to investigate the kidney transplant racket that was uncovered at Alaknanda Hospital in Saroor Nagar, Rangareddy district, on January 21. The scandal has exposed a network of illegal organ trafficking, where two donors were reportedly paid ₹4 lakh each for their kidneys, while the recipients shelled out ₹50 lakh for the transplants, according to a senior health official.
Preliminary findings reveal that the recipients hailed from Karnataka, while the donors were from Tamil Nadu. The surgeries, which took place on the evening of January 16, were carried out by doctors brought from other States at the hospital. Both the donors and the recipients were allegedly connected through agents, whose identities remain undisclosed, the official said.
The four-member committee tasked with the investigation comprises Dr. Nagender, former Superintendent of Osmania General Hospital; Dr. Sadhana, an anesthetist; Dr. Mallikarjun, a urologist; and Dr. Kiranmayi, a nephrologist. The committee has already visited the seized hospital and gathered information from the Rangareddy District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO).
Director of Medical Education Dr. N. Vani expressed the government’s firm stance on tackling this issue. “The two kidney donors are very poor women who were lured into this racket,” she stated while talking to the media. She also announced plans to conduct audits of the transplant procedures across the state to curb illegal organ trafficking.
Published - January 23, 2025 05:03 pm IST
