Apollo Hospitals accused of illegal organ trade, denies allegations
What's the story
In a startling development, Apollo Hospitals, one of the world's largest private hospital groups, has been accused of being involved in an illegal organ trade racket.
The United Kingdom's The Telegraph reported that poor people from Myanmar were being lured into selling their kidneys for profit to rich Myanmarese patients.
For this, the victims were allegedly flown to Apollo's Delhi hospital from Myanmar's villages.
Details
Roughly Rs. 30 lakh for illegal kidney transplant
Apollo Hospitals, headquartered in Chennai, is a multi-billion dollar healthcare group with health facilities across Asia.
Reportedly, it conducts around 1,200 organ transplants every year and sees affluent patients from across the globe.
Citing a patient and a donor, the report said a transplant at Apollo's Delhi hospital costs around £31,000 (roughly Rs. 32 lakh), while a donor would receive £3,000 (Rs. 3 lakh).
Report
Padma Shri awardee named as involved surgeon
The racket's agents and patients told The Telegraph Padma Shri awardee Dr. Sandeep Guleria conducted the transplants. But he denied the allegations as "offensive and laughable."
In 2016, Deccan Herald reported Guleria would be summoned for questioning in a separate kidney scandal related to Apollo's flagship Indraprastha Hospital in Delhi. However, he termed it "false."
Ex-AIIMS Delhi chief Dr. Randeep Guleria is his brother.
Forgery
Elaborate forgery to present donors, receivers as relatives
Racket agents reportedly bypass bureaucratic obstacles by forging identity documents and creating fake "family" photographs to present potential donors and recipients as relatives.
While paying for organs is prohibited in India and most of the world, voluntary organ donations are allowed from relatives—and only for "purely altruistic purposes" from strangers.
The report quoted a source saying that 80% of transplants—involving such Myanmarese—are between strangers.
Business
'Big business': How racket agents work to remove obstacles
Reportedly, agents working with Apollo's branches in Myanmar are responsible for forging the family trees, documents, and photographs to show relationships between organ recipients and donors.
Calling it "big business," an agent said they all "work together to get around the obstacles between the two governments."
They added, "[The hospital] asks the official questions. And on this side, they tell the official lies."
Statement
How agents create fake family photos
Another agent told The Telegraph's undercover reporter, "Before going [to India], we take photos...to submit to the board - yourself having gone to the Buddhist temple with this donor; we have to do it so it is logical."
"They have to make the photos look old. It's like a photo shoot. You put them in all creased and crumpled," they added.
Denies allegations
'Completely shocked': Hospital chain on allegations
On the other hand, Apollo Hospitals has denied all the allegations, saying it was "completely shocked" by the purported findings.
However, the group said it would launch an internal investigation into the matter.
"Any suggestion of our willful complicity or implicit sanctioning of any illegal activities relating to organ transplants is wholly denied," Apollo Hospitals stated, per The Telegraph.
UK
Apollo staffers arrested in 2016 in separate organ trading case
A donor told The Telegraph, "Myanmar and India laws do not allow strangers to donate organs... The agent teaches us to tell the fake story that we are relatives."
Globally, 10% of organs transplanted are trafficked, per estimates.
Separately, in 2016, two of Apollo Indraprastha Hospital's staff, middlemen, and donors were arrested in a racket. Apollo called itself a "victim of a well-orchestrated operation."
Myanmar
Myanmar's political, economic turmoil pushes people to trade organs
The purported racket has surfaced amid the political chaos in Myanmar following the military coup in 2021.
The coup even led many medics to go into hiding as part of the civil disobedience movement opposing the ruling junta.
Following this, the people have been deprived of basic health services and the economy is in shambles, with 40% of the country's population living in poverty.