Rejected kidney donation application should be reconsidered; hospital-level committee should be expedited; High Court direction on organ donation

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed that hospital-level authorisation committees should be constituted at the earliest for organ donation approval. The court also pointed out that the wait of patients is getting longer as the applications for organ transplant surgery are reaching the district-level committee.

According to the central law, there should be an authorisation committee in hospitals that perform more than 25 organ transplants in a year. Only those centres where less than 25 surgeries are performed should approach the district committee. However, there are no hospital-level committees anywhere in Kerala.

The lives of patients depend on the decision of the authorization committee. Therefore, it should be ensured that the nomination of committee members is as per the rules. Justice VG Arun's order came on a petition related to the rejection of the application for kidney donation by the state and district-level authorisation committees. The application was rejected on the grounds that there was no close relationship between the patient and the donor.

"Can't give proof of love"

The application of the petitioners was rejected by the district committee and the state committee. TK Sunil, a native of Santhipuram in Thrissur, was ready to donate the kidney to the patient KT Jillit, a native of Gothuruthu. However, the authorisation committees rejected the application after considering the police report that the two were strangers and did not even have a photo to prove their friendship and a financial transaction is suspected behind the organ donation. The court observed that it was impossible to produce evidence of love. The money was collected from the public for the surgery of the patient, who is an auto worker. Even this was not taken into account. The court also directed the authorisation committees to re-consider the petitioners' plea and take a decision within 10 days.