Thiruvananthapuram: A controversy has erupted after the Head of the Nephrology Department at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH), Dr. Mohan Das, publicly criticised Kerala’s post-mortem organ donation programme, the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS/K-SOTTO), calling it a “complete failure.”
Social Media Post Sparks Row
In a social media post mourning the death of former nephrology head Dr. G. Venugopal, Dr. Das remarked that the success of the state’s Mrithasanjeevani (K-SOTTO) initiative ended with the passing of its key architect, Dr. Ramdas.
“It was Dr. Venugopal and Dr. Ramdas who made the Mrithasanjeevani project in Kerala a success. With the death of Dr. Ramdas, Mrithasanjeevani has become a total failure,” he wrote.
Dr. Das further alleged that not a single cadaver kidney transplant had taken place at Alappuzha Medical College, despite it being the base of the K-SOTTO executive director. He later deleted the post.
Principal Issues Gag Order
Reacting to the controversy, Dr. P.K. Jabbar, Principal of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, issued a directive prohibiting doctors from making public statements. He warned that any violation of service rules would invite strict disciplinary action.
Earlier Complaints of Resource Shortages
This is not the first time doctors from Thiruvananthapuram MCH have raised concerns. Nearly two months ago, Dr. Haris Chirakkal, Head of the Urology Department, publicly revealed a severe shortage of surgical equipment and repeated delays in patient surgeries.
In a detailed Facebook post (later deleted), Dr. Chirakkal highlighted that patients were forced to wait for months, only to have their surgeries cancelled due to the unavailability of essential equipment. While he complied with the Directorate of Medical Education’s (DME) request to delete the post, he later told reporters that the issues he raised remain unresolved.
