Apollo hospital has been allegedly linked to the illicit selling of Myanmar nationals’ kidneys for organ transplants. The New Delhi municipal government is investigating.
According to a media source, Myanmar nationals illegally sold kidneys for organ transplants at Apollo Hospital, India’s largest private hospital chain. The New Delhi metropolitan government is investigating.
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), under the federal health ministry, wrote to Delhi after Britain’s Telegraph accused Apollo of a “cash for kidneys” controversy involving Myanmar villagers.
The article alleged teenage Myanmar peasants were flown to its Delhi hospital and persuaded to sell their kidneys to wealthier Burmese patients.
Apollo Hospitals did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Based on an undercover reporter’s interviews with Myanmar agents and Apollo officials, Apollo Hospitals said it was “completely shocked” by the newspaper’s revelations and would launch an internal probe.
“Any suggestion of our wilful complicity or implicit sanctioning of any illegal activities relating to organ transplants is wholly denied,” Apollo said in the report.
On Wednesday, NOTTO Director Anil Kumar told Reuters: “This issue requires a deep investigation and concrete evidence before deciding on the next course of action.”
Delhi Health Secretary S B Deepak Kumar told Reuters the city was investigating on federal orders.
Apollo affiliate Indraprastha Medical Corp, which manages two Delhi hospitals, said it has launched an investigation and termed the charges “absolutely false, ill-informed and misleading”.
A source with firsthand knowledge of the subject said Indraprastha Medical will assist and offer all relevant information and data to authorities when asked, but it had not received any sign that the inquiry was started.
Apollo, which has over 70 facilities in India, completed 1,641 solid organ transplants in 2022, according to corporate data. The facility treats international patients who fly into India.
The Telegraph reports that New Delhi’s most famous private hospital is the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Sarita Vihar in the southeast.
Conclusion
A media source has linked Apollo hospital, India’s largest private hospital chain, to the illicit selling of Myanmar nationals’ kidneys for organ transplants. The New Delhi municipal government is investigating. Apollo was accused by NOTTO of a “cash for kidneys” scandal involving Myanmar villagers. The article said teenage Myanmar peasants were flown to Apollo’s Delhi hospital to sell their kidneys to wealthy Burmese patients. Apollo Hospitals denied deliberate cooperation or tacit sponsorship of organ transplant crimes. Delhi Health Secretary S B Deepak Kumar said the city was investigating on federal orders. Indraprastha Medical Corp, an Apollo affiliate, is investigating the charges, calling them “absolutely false, ill-informed and misleading.”
