Kidney Federation of India founder Fr Davis Chiramel slams organ trade

Thrissur: Fr Davis Chiramel, the founder of the Kidney Federation of India and an organ donor himself, has raised serious concerns about organ donation scams in Kerala. He said that while Malayalis used to donate organs selflessly, the situation has now deteriorated into a thriving organ trade. He blames the lenient stance of the ethics committee, which is supposed to regulate organ donations, for this troubling trend.

Father Chiramel pointed out that unlike in Kerala, elsewhere in India, organs are not donated to strangers. However, in Kerala, there are incidents where people are made into "relatives" to facilitate organ donations. He emphasised the need to include socially responsible individuals in the ethics committee to make it more effective and transparent.

Currently, the ethics committee includes medical college principals, forensic officers, nephrology doctors, and police officers. Father Chiramel criticised the committee for allowing the organ trade to flourish under the guise of humanitarian considerations.