Rajasthan Suspends Senior Doctor Over Fake Organ Transplant NOC

The Rajasthan government took decisive action on Wednesday against senior medical professionals involved in a scandal concerning fake No Objection Certificates (NOC) for organ transplants. Dr. Rajendra Bagdi, a senior doctor at the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Government Hospital, was suspended following an inquiry that shed light on significant irregularities in the organ transplant process.

Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar announced the suspension and the issuance of a show cause notice to Dr. Bagdi under service rules. Additionally, Dr. Achal Sharma and Dr. Rajeev Bagarhatta faced removal from their respective positions as SMS hospital superintendent and SMS medical college principal earlier this month due to their failure in convening meetings of the state authorisation committee responsible for issuing NOCs.

The inquiry report revealed alarming details, including 269 cases where the donor and receiver were not closely related, and 171 transplants involving foreign citizens conducted in four private hospitals within a year. These findings pointed to a systemic failure in adhering to protocols designed to safeguard the integrity of human organ transplantation from 2020 to 2023.

Dr. Bagdi, who served as the coordinator of the state authorisation committee since April 2022, was found to have issued meeting notices without specifying dates and times, indicating a continuous disregard for the application process for NOCs. "All these facts show that Dr. Rajendra Bagdi was fully aware of the continuous receipt of applications for NOC. Despite this, meetings were not held," Khinvsar stated, highlighting Dr. Bagdi's primary responsibility for the lapse.

The scandal also implicated Dr. Sudhir Bhandari, former principal and controller of SMS Medical College and vice chancellor of the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS). Bhandari resigned following actions against Sharma and Bagarhatta and was accused of irregularities during his tenure, including failing to nominate state government representatives to the steering committee of the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTO) as per national guidelines.

On April 1, an Anti-Corruption Bureau team arrested three individuals for issuing fake NOCs for organ transplants in exchange for money. Following these arrests, the organ transplant licenses of Fortis Hospital, EHCC Hospital, and Manipal Hospital were suspended after investigations found them complicit in violating transplant rules. Police investigations into these hospitals are ongoing.

This series of events underscores significant lapses in regulatory oversight and ethical conduct within Rajasthan's medical community, particularly concerning organ transplants. The government's response highlights its commitment to addressing these issues head-on, ensuring accountability and rectifying systemic flaws to prevent future misconduct.