In a horrifying revelation, Dr. Ganapati tears the veil off the sordid underbelly of Kerala's organ donation industry!! In a terrifying exposé, he states that out of 148 recorded brain deaths in the period of 2015-2016, just a single case belonged to the Muslim community.

This shocking fact forces us to question: Are Muslims somehow immune to brain death? Or does this severe inequality indicate a more sinister reason? It's a stomach-turning matter that demands immediate and in-depth investigation! Is the fact that nearly all major organ transplant hospitals in Kerala are owned by a single community the missing piece in this chilling puzzle?

A court in Kerala has called for a much-needed investigation into the suspected illegal activities rampant in Kochi's organ transplantation sector. Amidst this turmoil, a 75-year-old doctor from Kollam district is being hailed as a hero, fearlessly challenging the mighty and corrupt private hospital lobbies.

This is not a solitary battle for the unyielding Dr. S Ganapathy. He has been relentlessly tracking the suspected irregularities in organ transplantation, with two of his cases regarding the declaration of brain death still pending in the Supreme Court and high court. He has taken up the daunting task of arguing these cases himself.

The decision to fight against the nefarious organ transplantation practices was sparked when he himself considered donating his organs prior to his heart surgery.

"When I expressed my wish to donate my organs in case of an unfortunate event to my daughter, she disclosed the exorbitant amounts hospitals charge from organ recipients. This revelation prompted me to scrutinize the processes involved in it," confided the brave Dr. Ganapathy.

Through conversations with hundreds of doctors in the field, Ganapathy discovered a vile racket involved in organ transplantation. The hospitals implicated in this racket extracted enormous sums of money from patients under the guise of hospital charges and unethically declared patients brain-dead.

"The current case of declaring 18-year-old V J Abin brain-dead by violating norms isn't an isolated incident. I fear that a vast number of such illegal declarations of brain death could be happening right under our noses in Kerala," warned Ganapathy.

Ganapathy initiated a probe into Abin's case after meeting a doctor whose signature was on an inquiry report stating that all procedures were adhered to in Abin's case. "The doctor denied signing it, leading me to dig deeper, and I uncovered serious violations in the procedures," he reported.

Abin, a victim of a road accident, was denied proper treatment at Mar Baselios hospital, despite the presence of a neurosurgeon. Later, it was discovered that this same neurosurgeon had previously worked with Lakeshore hospital, where Abin's organ was transplanted to a Malaysian national. This appeared to be a carefully orchestrated organ trade, asserted the unyielding Ganapathy, who is resolute in seeing the case through to its logical conclusion.

A court recently ordered a probe against Lakeshore hospital and eight doctors in relation to Abin's case. Ganapathy is personally advocating for mandatory EEG tests before declaring a person brain-dead and for compulsory video recording of all procedures.

Ganapathy's battle against the alleged malpractices in organ transplant eerily mirrors the plot of the 2018 Malayalam movie 'Joseph', which unveils a racket that orchestrates road accidents to secure ideal organ donors.

"The film appears to mirror my own life, even though I have no association with it," admitted the septuagenarian, who studied at Thiruvananthapuram government medical college and now operates his own clinic in Kollam.

With the fall in organ donation over recent years in Kerala, some in the medical community are blaming iton the film 'Joseph'. Now, with this revolting case coming to light, there are apprehensions that people may become even more hesitant to consent for organ donations. This chilling revelation and ensuing fear could potentially cause a further plummet in organ donations, creating a catastrophic impact on those in dire need of transplants. Such a terrifying reality paints a stark and disturbing picture of the organ donation industry in Kerala!

Kerala: Alleged illegal organ transplantation in Kochi; Police lathi-charge protesting ABVP workers

On June 17, Kerala Police were forced to resort to measures such as lathi-charge and water cannons in order to control a crowd of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers who were attempting to march towards VPS Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi. The demonstrators were protesting against alleged violations of organ donation norms. They demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and called for the doctors involved to be removed from their positions of authority.

The triggering incident for these demonstrations was a case related to a young man, V.J. Abin, who was declared brain dead following a motorbike accident on November 29, 2009. The 21-year-old native of Udumbanchola was initially admitted to Mar Baselios Hospital, Kothamangalam, before being transferred to Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi, the next day for specialized treatment. It was here that Abin was declared brain dead.

Following his declaration of brain death, the hospital authorities approached Abin's family, asking them to donate his major internal organs. His mother, acting in good faith and with the belief that she was helping save the lives of others, agreed to the request. However, she later discovered that her son's organs had been transplanted to a foreign national, a Malaysian citizen.

This information reached Dr. S. Ganapathy of Maruthadi in Kollam district, who lodged a complaint against Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi. Dr. Ganapathy, a 75-year-old doctor, has been closely monitoring organ transplantation procedures in Kerala. He had previously moved a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Kerala High Court in 2015, alleging "malpractice in declaring a patient to be brain dead… only with the intention to facilitate harvesting of organs for transplantation."

In his complaint, Dr. Ganapathy expressed his suspicions about a potential conspiracy to deny necessary treatment to Abin and the undue haste in declaring him brain dead. He pointed out that the doctor who declared Abin brain dead was not authorized to do so, and that the necessary 'apnea' test to confirm brain death was not conducted. He also pointed out that evacuation of blood from the cranial cavity, a critical procedure, was not performed. This, he alleged, was a serious violation of the Transplantation of Human Organs (TOHO) Act.

Dr. Ganapathy's complaint led to a court case in 2020, which revealed further irregularities. The court found that the procedures followed for organ donation to a foreigner were improper. In the case of a deceased donor, the rules state that the sequence of allocation of organs should be in the following order: state list, regional list, national list, person of Indian origin, foreigner. The court found that these rules were not adhered to in Abin's case.

Additionally, upon examining the records and consulting with police surgeons and neurologists, the court found that there was an enormous accumulation of blood in Abin's cranial cavity when he was hospitalized, but the evacuation procedure was not followed. Furthermore, tests such as HIV and liver function tests were conducted, even though neurosurgery was not planned. Doctors for organ transplantation also visited him before he was declared brain dead, further raising suspicions.

The court concluded that there was a prima facie case and sufficient grounds to invoke the TOHO Act against the hospital and doctors. It was determined that the TOHO Act was not followed in Abin's case, and his liver was transplanted to a Malaysian citizen without obtaining the necessary sanction from the Internal Authorisation Committee. Further compounding the issue, the Malaysian Embassy Certificate showed the wife of the recipient as the donor, when in fact Abin was the actual donor.

During the removal of the organs, the thoracic chamber was opened (sternotomy), and the heart was found to be mutilated. The court has now ordered the accused to appear as part of the ongoing inquiry.

As part of the court's investigation, the statements of two government doctors, forensic surgeon P.S. Sanjay and Thomas Iype, head of the neurology department at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, were examined. Dr. Sanjay, who conducted Abin's autopsy, expressed his suspicion over the non-evacuation of blood in the cranial cavity. Dr. Iype concurred, opining that the evacuation of blood could have potentially saved Abin's life.

In response to the allegations, VPS Lakeshore Hospital released a statement to clarify their position. The hospital's managing director, S.K. Abdulla, stated that the court had only ordered an investigation to verify the validity of a private individual's complaint concerning brain death. He assured that the hospital would fully cooperate with the investigation and argued that there had been no lapse on the part of the institution. He promised to do everything necessary to convince the court of the hospital's innocence.

Meanwhile, Omana, Abin's mother, is demanding a detailed inquiry into the incident. Having been living with a heavy heart for several years, she fervently hopes that no other mother has to endure what she has. She recalls not knowing whether her son had been administered any medicine or received any treatment. All she remembers is seeing a bandage around his head, kissing him, and leaving. She was told that her son would not survive and that there were several people in the hospital in desperate need of organs. Thinking it was a noble idea, she signed the papers presented by the hospital authorities. However, she was unaware that organ donation required government permission.

Despite the tragic loss of her son, Omana's experience and the subsequent court case have served as an eye-opener in the state. Many are hopeful that the court's intervention will bring about significant changes in the handling of such sensitive issues.