Delhi HC seeks AIIMS reponse on kidney patient`s plea for transplant

The Delhi HC has directed AIIMS to respond to a kidney patient`s plea alleging that despite court`s direction to arrange a donor for his renal transplant 3 years ago, the institute has failed to even start the procedure.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed AIIMS to respond to a kidney patient`s plea alleging that despite court`s direction to arrange a donor for his renal transplant three years ago, the institute has failed to even start the procedure.

Issuing notice to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and also the Union Ministry of Health, Justice Rajiv Shakdher sought their reply by July 2 on the plea of Dinesh Gupta, a cab driver. Gupta has sought a direction to the Organ Research Banking Organisation (ORBO) department of AIIMS to start the kidney transplant procedure as his health condition is deteriorating day by day. Gupta`s counsel Atul Wadhera said after the patient`s family members had expressed their inability to donate the organ to him, the high court on May 21, 2010 had directed AIIMS to arrange a donor. Pursuant the court order, Gupta had registered himself in the ORBO department on June 2 same year but the procedure has not started as yet despite lapse of three years, the counsel said. Gupta in his plea said that he has been getting by-weekly maintenance hemo-dialysis from Ram Manohar Lohia(RML) hospital and the vein through which an artificial pipe is inserted for the dialysis to be performed for past three years has picked up infection which could prove dangerous to his health. "The new artificial pipe has a very short life and Gupta was advised to undergo the specialised grafting procedure so that the dialysis may be continued uninterruptedly...AIIMS has asked him to deposit Rs 40,000-Rs 50,000 as estimated cost for carrying out grafting procedure," the plea also said. "...Already a considerable time has passed which has resulted in the petitioner`s systems getting weak due to repeated dialysis and now the transplant is the only solution to save his life," the plea said. In 2010, Gupta had moved the high court accusing AIIMS of refusing to put him on dialysis unless he gets a kidney donor. Both his kidneys have stopped functioning. He requires bi-weekly dialysis till he gets a kidney transplant. His kidneys were damaged following medication for some ailment in his intestine. He has an eight-year-old son and earns his livelihood by dropping children at schools. Gupta had earlier got his brothers-in-law for kidney donation but their offer was rejected following medical examination. On May 21, 2010, the court had directed AIIMS to organise a donor for him and asked Gupta to register himself with the ORBO department of AIIMS. PTI