Once upon a time in 2020
There once lived a king in a country far far away. The king was generous, fair and genuinely interested in the welfare of his people. Once it was brought to his notice that 1,36,000 persons die in his kingdom every year from renal failure. Being educated he immediately convened his council and asked why so many persons died when his royal hospital provided kidney transplant at very nominal rates. His council looked at each other and finally one old gentleman got up to say that Sire the technology is available, the cost is low but the availability of organs is extremely poor.
The king thought for may days. He went across the length and breadth of his land and saw thousands of beggars roaming the streets, farmers committing suicides for inability to pay off their loans, children being sold to brothels by the poor. With a population of 125 crore plus despite his good intentions he was unable to provide social security to all his subjects. He was also told of some private hospitals where kidney scandal and trade and exploitation of poor donors had occurred in past and the doctors were now languishing in jail.
When He inquired whether other body organs or tissues could be rented or sold , he was told that many tissues and organs were legally being traded like hair, blood , semen , human eggs for reproduction and renting of surrogate mother’s uterus for duration of pregnancy. Even prostitution was permitted legally in his kingdom as long as there was no public solicitation. Having widely travelled he was also aware that many developed countries legalized prostitution with checks and balances to prevent exploitation of sex workers.
After a week of soul searching he called his council again and made an amendment in Transplantation of Human Organs Act permitting paid kidney donation. He proclaimed that those who wished to donate their kidney should register with NOTTO a Government organization which was already overseeing the deceased donor programme. The recipients who registered with NOTTO would be given an option of priority paid donor list where they would have to deposit Rs 7.5 lacs with NOTTO along with one time premium for life and health insurance for the donor. These charges would be over and above the hospital transplantation bill. NOTTO would then match the prospective commercial donors with the recipients and allow the different hospitals to proceed with transplant. The Donor would then be paid a sum of Rs 5000 per month for 15 years from the invested sum of Rs 7.5 lacs and after 15 years the amount of 7.5 lacs would be given to the donor. His healthcare needs would be assured through the insurances already paid for.
Overnight the NOTTO was flooded with both prospective Donors and prospective recipients. Over the years countless lives on both sides were saved and everyone lived happily ever after except for some so called human right activists, social workers and a few journalists who protested sporadically at Jantar Mantar.
Dr Neeraj Nagpal
Convenor,Medicos Legal Action Group, Managing Director MLAG Indemnity,
Ex President IMA Chandigarh
Director Hope Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Clinic,
1184, Sector 21 B Chandigarh
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