Aster Medcity, a renowned medical facility in Kochi, has been embroiled in a scandal involving serious allegations of organ fraud. It is alleged that officials from Aster Medcity engaged in harvesting a patient’s organs before the patient was declared brain dead, marking yet another case of organ fraud following the controversy surrounding Lake Shore Hospital.
The 2021 order issued by the Ernakulam Magistrate Court has shed light on the matter. A complaint was filed in 2019, stating that there was a conspiracy to procure the liver of Ajay Johny, a resident of Cheranallur, even before he was officially declared brain dead. Curiously, Suresh Kumar, a lawyer who arrived to receive Ajay Johny’s liver, later experienced brain death, further deepening the mystery surrounding the incident. The lawyer’s family had paid approximately Rs 22 lakh to Aster Medicity for the liver transplant. However, Ajay Johny’s liver could not be transplanted, resulting in the lawyer’s unfortunate demise. The complaint also alleges that a group of unqualified doctors confirmed the brain death of both Ajay Johny and the lawyer.
The sequence of events raises suspicions, as 12 hours prior to Ajay Johny’s brain death, hospital authorities contacted the lawyer, who was at home and suffering from liver cirrhosis. Financial transactions for the surgery were initiated at that time. Despite the lawyer not requiring emergency surgery, he was called to the hospital. Subsequently, Ajay Johny was declared brain dead, strengthening allegations of a conspiracy within the hospital regarding organ donation.
Later, the lawyer, who had prepared to receive Ajay Johny’s liver, experienced brain death. Sixteen hours before the lawyer’s death was confirmed, the lawyer’s family was informed of his brain death, and the hospital requested organ donation. Allegedly, the hospital authorities attempted to cover up the incident by returning Rs 7 lakh to the lawyer’s family, who had initially paid Rs 22 lakh for the liver transplant surgery. Meanwhile, Ajay Johny’s liver was transplanted into a third person, as the lawyer could not undergo the procedure.
The allegation that the brain death of both patients was confirmed by doctors lacking sufficient qualifications, despite the requirement for an expert committee to validate brain death, is a grave concern. The lower court has ordered an inquiry against Aster Medicity and the 13 doctors implicated in the incident. The Magistrate’s Court acknowledged that there was prima facie merit in the complainant’s allegations. The High Court has adjourned the petition filed by Aster Medicity against the lower court order in the case.
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