Kidney transplant patients and relatives face delays in approval process

Meeting did not take place despite several hours of waiting

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Patients and their relatives seeking approval for kidney transplants faced a difficult time on Wednesday at Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Some patients traveled from Malegaon and Bangalore to attend the meeting, but they had to wait for hours without a decision. The patients and their relatives expressed their frustration at the situation.

In private hospitals, a committee can take a decision for kidney transplants when a patient in need of a transplant receives a kidney from a donor who is a blood relative. Patients and their relatives, who needed a transplant, came to Kamalnayan Bajaj hospital for a meeting with the committee. However, even after waiting for half a day, the meeting did not take place, and they had to return home without a decision.

Dr Bhushan Kumar Ramteke, deputy director of health, stated that guidelines have been given to hospitals for decision-making when it comes to kidney donation through blood relation at the hospital level committee meeting.

It is unclear whether the hospital committee requires government permission. A letter of approval is said to be required, while another letter states that there is no need for approval. The lack of clarity led to the decision to avoid violating government regulations, and a meeting will be held in the next two days to discuss the matter further.

Dr Milind Vaishnav, medical director of the hospital, assured patients and their relatives that a meeting will be held in the next two days to clarify the approval process for kidney transplants.