Cash-for-kidneys scam: Ministry orders inquiry against Apollo Hospitals

The Health Ministry's National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (NOTTO) has initiated a probe into allegations of a cash-for-kidneys scam against Apollo Hospitals involving Myanmar nationals.

The inquiry has been initiated following a report by UK-based newspaper The Telegraph on December 3, which alleged that the hospital group has been involved in a racket where "desperate young villagers" from Myanmar were enticed to donate their kidneys to wealthy patients, also from Myanmar.

What is the cash-for-kidneys scam?

According to The Telegraph report, poor people from Myanmar "are being flown" to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi to "sell their kidneys to rich Burmese patients." The organ transplantation law in India only allows donations from close relatives such as siblings, parents or spouses. Donations from friends and distant relatives are permitted, but strict restrictions are in place to ensure that the motivation is driven by altruism rather than profit.

According to the report, the scam involved forging identity documents and staging "family" photographs to falsely present donors as relatives of prospective patients. It added that the multi-billion dollar hospital chain, with facilities across Asia, boasts that it conducts more than 1,200 transplants a year, with rich patrons arriving for surgeries from all over the world, including the UK.

What are the allegations against Apollo Hospitals?

The Telegraph reported that a 58-year-old patient from Myanmar paid £31,000 for a new kidney in September 2022. The surgery was done at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, and the donor was not related to the patient, it added. 

Posing as a relative of a person in urgent need of a kidney transplant, an undercover reporter for the newspaper contacted Apollo's Myanmar offices and was told that a stranger could be arranged as a donor for a price.

The report said that Dr Thet Oo, the chief of Apollo's Myanmar operations, provided additional details to The Telegraph's undercover reporter regarding the scam. According to the report, the surgeries were carried out by renowned renal transplant surgeon Dr Sandeep Guleria.

Apollo officials told The Indian Express that the hospital does not have a medical centre in Myanmar and that Dr Thet Oo had been dismissed from service.

 NOTTO initiates probe into allegations

On December 5, NOTTO Director Dr Anil Kumar wrote to Delhi Health Secretary, Dr S B Deepak Kumar, asking him to begin an inquiry into the matter and "take appropriate action as per the provisions of (the Act) and furnish an action taken report within a week".

"The report highlights that such activities may be taking place, posing a serious threat to the health and well-being of vulnerable individuals. As per Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994 CHAPTER IV, Section 13(3) (iv)), Secretary (Health), Government of Delhi, is the appropriate authority for NCT of Delhi to examine and investigate the matter," the letter read.

The Delhi health secretary said a committee was being formed to investigate the matter. He added that details of donors and patients have been sought from the hospital and that officials are waiting for the hospital to respond.

Apollo Hospitals' response

In a media statement, The Indraprastha Medical Corporation Ltd (IMCL), a part of the Apollo Hospitals group, asserted that it follows every legal and ethical requirement for transplants, including government guidelines, and the allegations made in the recent international media against IMCL are false and misleading.

It said that each foreign donor is required to provide a certification from their respective foreign governments that the donor and recipient are indeed related before undertaking a transplant.

The IMCL complies with all guidelines laid down by the government as well as extensive internal processes that exceed compliance requirements, a company spokesperson said.

The spokesperson stated that IMCL requires every donor to provide Form 21 notarised by the appropriate ministry in their country. "This form is a certification from the foreign government that the donor and recipient are indeed related," the spokesperson stated, adding that the government-appointed transplant authorisation committee at IMCL reviews documents for each case and interviews the donor and the recipient.

According to the spokesperson, the IMCL re-validates the documents with the embassy concerned in the country. The patients and donors have to go through various medical tests, including genetic testing.