Kidney transplant patient dies in Kerala. But there is more to it..

CHENNAI: On Monday, 20 June, a patient who had a kidney transplant on Sunday passed away at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital. In Kerala, a complex game of finger-pointing over the death of 62-year-old Suresh Kumarh is currently playing out which includes the Health Minister, hospital staff members, ambulance drivers, and others.

A 34-year-old brain dead patient from Ernakulam was the donor whose kidney was harvested and brought to Thiruvananthapuram travelling over 200 kms on Sunday.

The kidney was driven in an ambulance through a "Green Corridor System" from Ernakulam to Thiruvananthapuram in less than 2.5 hours.

A green corridor is a unique traffic route designed with the assistance of the police to make it easier and faster for the delivery of vital organs to save lives of people.

Even after the kidney arrived at the hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, according to media sources, there was a three-hour delay before the operation could start.

Kerala's Health Minister Veena George issued a stern warning, alleging that systemic flaws were widespread in government medical colleges and that the government would not tolerate them at any cost.

She also restated the hospital's complaint that the box carrying the harvested organ had been taken from the ambulance to the medical college by unidentified individuals other than hospital workers.

When the ambulance arrived at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, it was captured on camera by television stations and two persons were seen transporting the organ into the hospital. The images show that, except for a security officer, no other hospital employees had been waiting to receive the kidney.

Veena George shifted some of the blame to the two men who brought the ice box containing the kidney inside the hospital, even though she acknowledged that relevant officers were not present at the hospital entrance when the ambulance arrived to accept the organ. According to sources, the ambulance arrived at the hospital on Sunday at 6 o'clock.

Arun Dev, an ambulance driver, however, revealed to the media that he was one of those who had brought the box into the hospital building and that the primary reason for doing so was to prevent any delays in the procedure.

He said, “Not even the security staff at the hospital was aware of the arrival of the organ and no preparation was made there to receive it. So we carried it inside the building. A doctor and a security staff were also with us while we were running with the box inside the hospital,". He also stated that he did not think that he committed a grave mistake, as he was only trying to not waste time and save the patient’s life.

After receiving a complaint from two rights activists, the Director of Medical Education was instructed to investigate the incident and submit a thorough report within four weeks after the State Human Rights Commission launched a case in this regard.