Patients in the prime of life suffer costly and painful dialysis sessions as following an amendment in the law, hospitals can't perform transplants without state govt go-ahead
Patients in the prime of life suffer costly and painful dialysis sessions as following an amendment in the law, hospitals can't perform transplants without state govt go-ahead
At 27 years of age, BPO employee Santosh wants to do all the good things life has to offer -- party, shop, hang out with friends, the list goes on. There is only one problem, though. Santosh is suffering from complete kidney failure and because of a complication in his nerves, he is bedridden.
Frustrating: BPO employee Santosh (27), who is waiting for
authorisation for his kidney transplant, is angry at the government
for the delay as it is preventing him from leading a normal life.
All transplants have been on hold for over a month now. Pic/Jignesh Mistry
But what has led to Santosh's misery is not his medical condition but the fact that though he has the means to improve his life, the state government will not allow it. Santosh is not the only one. More than two dozen people are waiting like this to get a fresh lease of life by undergoing a kidney transplant. However, it has been more than a month that hospitals across the city have stopped doing transplants because the state government has revised its conditions for authorising hospitals. 
In dire need: Santosh (27) at his residence in Dhanuri. He isu00a0 waiting
for authorisation for his kidney transplant. Pic/Jignesh Mistry
As hospitals are scouting around to complete the paperwork, the state government has not authorised them to finish pending cases. That means those in the queue for transplants will have to wait as long as the deadlock between the state government and private hospitals continues.
"I feel helpless. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with complete renal failure and my sister donated her kidney to me. For three years I was okay, but suddenly it failed. This time my state is even worse as I am bedridden and need painful dialysis sessions. I want the torture to end fast and my uncle is ready to give his kidney, but I can't undergo an operation as the government has suddenly changed the rules. The state government is heartless," said Santosh.
While Santosh's company and friends are sponsoring his operation and post-recovery expenses, as of now the Dhanori resident spends Rs 5,000 a week for dialysis sessions. Vaibhav Kamble (30) has a similar story to tell. The Bhosari MIDC resident works as a junior engineer in an auto major and is in desperate need of a transplant.
"Actually, I am not on dialysis, but my nephrologist has told me that I will need it after a week as my creatinine level has shot up. I blame it on the government because had they not given rise to the delay, my operation would have been done and I wouldn't require dialysis. The money is arranged, my mother is ready to donate her kidney, all papers are in place and yet I am undergoing this torture," said Kamble.
What worries him the most is the future of his year-old baby boy. "I need to do a job to support my family. My creatinine levels are very high, but I still take the risk and go to work. I need an operation to have a better quality of life, especially as my family depends on me. Only I know what every day lost in conducting the operation means to my family and me," he said.
Doctors say that the cases are many and the stories are similar, but they are helpless. "I have two Nigerian patients waiting for more than two months in India for authorisation and surgery to take place. A PhD student in his late 20s needs an urgent transplant. But unless the state government notifies us in written format that we can go ahead and there are no legal hassles, which hospital or doctor will stick out his neck to do these operations? We feel for the patients, but we are helpless," said Dr Abhay Sadre, head of nephrology epartment at the Ruby Hall Clinic.
The waiting list While hospitals like Ruby Hall Clinic and Jehangir perform three to four transplants a month, others like Poona Hospital, KEM hospital and Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital also conduct a couple of surgeries.
The waiting list of patients for donors varies at each hospital from five to six patients at medium sized ones to between 20 and 30 patients at larger hospitals.
The logjam
For over a month, transplants have been stopped across city hospitals. All transplants are guided by the Human Organ Transplant Act, which was amended by the state government in July 2008 and some new provisions were introduced. However, these changes were not communicated to hospitals until April 2011. According to the amendment, the authorisation committee which is present in every hospital (the committee reviews and approves kidney transplants) should have members from civil society as well as doctors and each of these members should have state approval. The government also has to nominate people on local committees and as the government has not appointed its nominees on the local authorisation committees yet, hospitals have stalled transplants.
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