Poor Workers Targeted by Broker; State Government Launches Probe
Chennai:
A major kidney transplant racket has been uncovered in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, where a broker allegedly lured financially distressed textile workers into selling their kidneys. The organs were then transplanted at two private hospitals—Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital in Perambalur and Cethar Hospitals in Trichy.
According to initial investigations, the donors—mostly poor individuals—were admitted secretly into these hospitals, kept as inpatients for a week, and underwent kidney transplants. They were paid between ₹5 to ₹10 lakh, often using the money to repay personal debts. Authorities believe the broker targeted vulnerable individuals in urgent need of money.
Hospitals Under Scanner, Role of Doctors Unclear
Concerns have also been raised about the authenticity of the relationships claimed between donors and recipients. Investigators suspect that the middlemen may have falsely presented donors as relatives of recipients to bypass legal requirements. However, it remains unclear whether hospital authorities or transplant surgeons were directly involved in the illegal activities. A probe is ongoing.
Health Department Suspends Licences, Orders High-Level Inquiry
In response, the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) has temporarily suspended the kidney transplant licences of the two hospitals. This action comes after a high-level inquiry was initiated by the Health Department, headed by S. Vineeth, Project Director of the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project.
On July 23, 2025, the Health Department officially confirmed that an investigation was underway, with the inquiry team also including senior medical and police officials. Based on the preliminary findings, the DMS acted under Section 16(2) of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, citing public interest.
Heartbreaking Testimonies of Donors Emerge
One of the most striking accounts is that of a mother of two who claimed she sold her kidney for ₹6.5 lakh to escape debt. She alleged that the transplant was carried out at Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, where she was kept for a week under the guise of being a patient.
Oversight Mechanism Under Question
The case has also spotlighted potential lapses in the functioning of transplant authorisation and screening committees, which are supposed to verify the genuineness of donor-recipient relationships in living donor transplants. The lack of rigorous checks has raised serious concerns over systemic failures that may have enabled the racket to flourish.
Authorities have assured that all those involved, including hospital staff and middlemen, will be held accountable as the investigation progresses.
