The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded that the charges filed against the top management and doctors of Ruby Hall Clinic in the kidney transplant malpractices case be rolled back.
An official statement issued Monday by the Pune branch of the IMA said the doctors have no role in the authorization of the patient’s identity.
On May 11, Pune Police booked 15 peopleincluding the top management and doctors at Ruby Hall Clinic, apart from the recipient, donor, members of their families and middlemen, in a kidney transplant case.
The police have invoked provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 along with Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The transplant surgery that was performed on March 24 pertains to a case where a woman “donor” posed as the recipient’s wife and had been promised Rs 15 lakh in return.
Dr Meenakshi Deshpande, president of IMA, Pune branch, told The Indian Express it was unfair to unnecessarily involve doctors. “How can doctors be involved in checking identification and marriage documents once they are authorized by government agencies?” she asked.
Dr Avinash Ignatius, founder member of Pune branch of Indian Society of Nephrology, said doctors do not have the means to verify documentary evidence. “As nephrologists, we can easily confirm the relation of blood related donors through blood tests. However, the same may not be possible in a spousal donor case as this depends primarily on documentary proof,” Ignatius said.
“Moreover, except for a few visits, the donor and recipient may not visit the doctor together. For conveniences, many times the donor visits the doctor for an evaluation while the patient undergoes dialysis in a unit. It may not be appropriate to place the burden of confirming such relationships only on the doctor,” Ignatius added.
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