Lankan doctors reject involvement over kidney racket

Four Srilankan doctors today rejected media reports saying that they were charged by the Indian police over a kidney transplant racket using private hospitals in Colombo.

The doctors in a collective statement said they have no involvement from a medical or surgical aspect and none of them are members of the Committees that clear patients and their donors for transplants.

“These transplants are done according to the law of Sri Lanka and we wish to sternly stress that we have not operated on or administered any medicines to these patients or their donors.” they said.

Claiming they are only Managers employed by the respective private hospitals for administration purposes, the doctors said that the transplants both local and foreign are monitored by the Health Ministry of Sri Lanka and are done only after approval from the said.

“Patients and Donors are referred to our respective hospitals by Nephrologists. These patients and donors are evaluated medically and mentally by professionals in respective specialties and not by us. Furthermore certain legal documents are required for transplants of this nature.

They also said they have not been approached by any local authority or foreign over these reports. “These transplants are done according to the law of Sri Lanka and we wish to sternly stress that we have not operated on or administered any medicines to these patients or their donors.We are more than willing to help in any investigation,”

The Hindu online edition initially reported that cases had been filed against six Srilankan doctors in relation to Kidney transplant racket, but subsequently edited the report  deleting the names of the doctors.