Fake NOC case: Raj govt suspends Manipal Hospital’s certificate to conduct organ transplant

Jaipur:  The Health Department in Rajasthan on Wednesday suspended the registration and renewal certificates issued to the Manipal Hospital in Jaipur to conduct human organ transplantation for its alleged involvement in a case related to the issuance of fake NOCs for organ transplants.

State health official Rashmi Gupta said the registration and renewal certificates (Forms 16 and 17) of Manipal Hospital for human organ transplants have been suspended under the Transplant of Human Organs Act.

Earlier, an upper division clerk at Fortis Hospital named Girraj Sharma was arrested for the alleged issuance of fake NOC for organ transplant which brought the matter to the fore. The employee was previously working with the Manipal Hospital, putting him under the lens of carrying out similar activities at his earlier workplace.

Singh was allegedly involved in forging the signatures of committee members responsible for issuing NOCs for organ transplantation.

The matter is being probed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the police.

Earlier, the registration and renewal certificates for organ transplants of Fortis Hospital and EHCC Hospital in Jaipur were suspended in the fake NOC case.

Officials said that several private hospitals in Jaipur are under the scanner after the Anti-Corruption Bureau busted a nexus of employees at a private hospital and at the SMS Hospital which was involved in forging no objection certificates (NOCs) for organ transplants.

The modus operandi involved illegal organ trade by enticing foreign citizens, especially from Bangladesh, promising a quicker process for transplants.

Additionally, the agency also detained Anil Kumar Joshi and Vinod Singh, who served as transplant coordinators for two private hospitals.

The Rajasthan government, following the busting of the racket, formed a special committee to investigate the irregularities in the issuance of NOCs.

A significant development in the case was reported when the authorities raided a guest house in Gurugram on April 4, exposing a racket wherein middlemen brought Bangladeshi citizens to hospitals in India, involving them in the illegal organ trade.

Officials in Haryana claimed that this racket was connected to the nexus busted by the ACB in Rajasthan.

–IANS

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