HEALTH

IHRO seeks mechanism to ease kidney transplants
Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, August 14
The International Human Rights Organisation (IHRO) has come forward to save many patients with kidney problems.The body has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court for laying down rules and evolving guidelines which could provide relief to the patients, handsome compensation to donors and, at the same time relieve treating doctors from harassment.

“The IHRO is now a party to a writ petition regarding the kidney scam pending in the High Court and it will plead for laying down of rules and guidelines in order to save the lives of kidney patients, compensating the donors and relieving the doctors from harassment in view of the Supreme Court’s decision."

The IHRO chairperson Mr Gill said here today that while the IHRO did not rule out commercial dealings in cases relating to unrelated kidney donors, the ambiguous provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, were also, to a great extent, responsible for breeding commercialisation and corruption as was apparent from many incidents in India, including the Amritsar kidney scam of 2002.

"Whoever has made or received any payment for the sale or purchase of any human organ or is in anyway connected with its trade is a culprit and liable to be punished under the Act, 1994." This blanket provision is debatable and needs to be given a fresh thought in the face of ground realities.

Mr Gill said the IHRO held no brief for guilty doctors but it was concerned that the Punjab Police had only targeted certain doctors in the much-publicised kidney scam, while some other co-conspirators, including some police officials, politicians, IAS officers, executive magistrates, MLAs, MPs and ministers, besides the recipients, donors and some other doctors, were either let off or not even touched. All culprits must be brought to book since every one was equal in the eyes of the law, he maintained. The human rights activist expressed concern over the unusual delay caused in the treatment of patients, suffering from kidney failure, many of whom were dying due to the stoppage of unrelated donors’ transplantation by many reputed hospitals like the PGI, Chandigarh, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital and Christian Medical College and Hospital, both in Ludhiana, and the Punjab State Nephrology Society.

The IHRO also strongly urged the need to frame certain guidelines and safeguards so that the patients could be saved from dying and the donors from being exploited by removing certain ambiguities from the Act of 1994.

Mr Gill informed that for this purpose, the IHRO had constituted a team of five medico-legal experts to suggest ways and means to favour (compensate) unrelated donors and to provide relief to the dying patients (recipients). The team would also suggest medico-ethics for treating consultants and transplant surgeons in the wake of the fact that they had stopped unrelated donor transplants.

Website on cancer
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 14
Two US-based Ludhiana brothers have launched a website for creating awareness about breast cancer in memory of their mother who died of the same disease recently in Washington DC. The website www.krishnabreastcancercare.com was launched immediately after the death of their mother. The website seeks to spread awareness about breast cancer so that it can be detected at an early stage.

The website also provides information on foods which help in prevention of cancer and advice from specialists.

Breast cancer is the most common among women. Over 700,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year worldwide and the incidence is increasing globally. Over 80,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in India. The risk of breast cancer increases with age. Around 65 per cent cases occur in women above the age of 50 .

Symptoms of breast cancer include a lump in breast, a swelling or lump in the armpit or changes in appearance of nipple. Any change needs to be discussed with the doctor, Sanjeev and Rajeev said.

Free dental care for students
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 14
That Sewa Trust here has adopted 1250 children of Brilliant Convent School at Goraya under the Children Dental Awareness Scheme. Announcing this here yesterday, the president of the trust, Mr Gurnam Singh Soundh, said that the children would be provided comprehensive dental care and free treatment under the scheme.