Fake organ NoCs: Centre 'guides' Raj in investigation

Jaipur: With state govt, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the city police grappling with the fake NoC for organ transplant scam and not being able to find a breakthrough, the Union govt has now pitched in to help the state.

The Centre's assistance comes in light of the slow pace of the ongoing investigation, which has failed to yield any substantial leads or breakthroughs, prompting the need for additional resources and expertise to unravel the intricacies of the scam.

“National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) will provide assistance, if required by the state government, for investigating the matter, including issues related to the functioning of SOTTO,” Centre wrote to the state govt officials.

In the fake NoC for organ transplant scam, the Centre is helping the medical education department showing the way to them on how to proceed in the investigation. Centre, in its letter, has directed also identified who the state should investigate and who appears to be honest.

It suggested that SOTTO may be completely restructured in consultation with the current principal of SMS Medical College, who appears to be an “honest and efficient person”.

The letter added, “Investigate the role of RUHS members who shifted from SMS Medical College, Jaipur to RUHS in the entire episode, which could have persisted for years before coming to light.”

Centre is providing crucial information to state govt, including sharing details of 113 transplants involving foreigners that were conducted in 2023, and which are believed to be part of the “commercial dealings” for organ transplants.

It has directed the state government to investigate unauthorised approvals and NoCs for living donor transplants from “other than near relatives” in Jaipur. A senior official from the medical education department said, "We have received the directions from the Centre and are investigating the matter accordingly. The investigation is under progress."

Following the Centre's directives, the state government has formed an inquiry committee to thoroughly investigate the matter for further necessary action against those involved. In adherence to the Centre's instructions, the medical education department has suspended the registration for organ transplantation of the involved hospitals until the inquiry is completed.

Additionally, following the Centre's directive, the medical education department has issued orders to hospitals to ensure that a unique NOTTO-ID for both the donor and recipient is generated by the hospital from the NOTTO website in all cases of organ transplant, whether from a living or deceased donor.

Centre has directed the state to devise a strategy for inspection of the hospitals by state approproate authority regularly to check the records of organ transplants done in the hospitals.