HC takes serious note of ‘almost defunct’ organ transplant dept

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday took serious note of the ‘almost-defunct’ status of the organ transplant department of the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) that came to its notice through a public interest litigation (PIL).

Hearing the PIL, Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Abdul Moin ordered the chancellor of the university to file a counter-affidavit in the next two weeks on the points raised in the PIL. Governor Ram Naik is chancellor of the university.

Hari Shanker Pandey, former PCS officer, was the petitioner in person.

The court also directed that the case must be listed in the first five cases in all future hearings.

The court has listed the case for hearing on January 8, 2018.

In his PIL, Pandey had pointed out that the KGMU had set up organ transplant department in August 2013.

Prof Ravi Kant, who was then vice-chancellor of the university, was made head of this department.

To start with, it was decided that kidney transplant would be carried out first and thereafter other organ transplant procedures would be conducted. The KGMU also appointed doctors and paramedic staff to run the department. Costly equipment was also purchased for the department.

“It was in 2015 that one kidney transplant was carried out by the organ transplant department, which was successful,” Pandey said, who argued his case before the court. He had sourced all information through an RTI filed with the KGMU.

“Barring this, no organ transplant has been carried out by this department till date. Several crores have already been spent on setting up this department,” Pandey added.

“After the organ transplant department became defunct, its doctors and paramedic staff were transferred to other departments,” Pandey apprised the court through his PIL.

Interestingly, the department’s website still claims that regular OPDs and operations are conducted there.

“One of the doctors of the KGMU also went to US in January this year in the name of studying organ transplant at government expense,” said Pandey.

The petitioner has also sought information from the court about the status of kidneys, which the KGMU collects in its bank through cadaver –donations.