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Amid mounting criticism from opposition parties over the alleged illegal kidney transplant racket in Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLA S Kathiravan claimed that the transplants were done as “service.” This is Kathiravan’s first public response since the kidney racket allegations surfaced.
Addressing a public meeting in Thirupattur on Tuesday, August 12, the Manachanallur MLA said, “What pains me is that we (the hospital) have saved 252 lives, but no one talks about that. We have had no personal benefit from this. Since we run a medical college, we started this as a service. If I wanted to make money, there are a thousand other ways to do it. Only five or six transplants are done a month, and I only recently suggested starting them,” he said.
Kathiravan, who has been accused of being complicit in the racket, said that the process of a kidney transplant was complex. He said that both donor and recipient must secure approvals from the Tahsildar, the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), the Police Commissioner, and the Dean of Madurai Medical College, followed by another committee in Chennai, before a surgery can be performed.
“A transplant requires five doctors. Three surgeons, one urology specialist, and one anaesthesiologist, including the operating staff, around 15–20 people, are present for the procedure.” He also said that the hospital received Rs 2 to 3 lakh in fees out of the Rs 10 to 12 lakh charged by the hospital for the transplant.
“We have done only 252 such operations. My father’s Rolls-Royce costs Rs 14.5 crore. If we receive Rs 2 lakh from each operation, we would have to take every kidney in Thirupattur to afford that car,” Kathiravan said. He also said he had not visited the hospital for a year and that it was being run by his daughter and son-in-law.
The MLA's remarks came two days after the state government dismissed the kidney transplant licences of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital in Perambalur and Cethar Hospital in Trichy. An inquiry found illegal organ trade at both facilities. Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College is owned by Kathiravan’s father, A Srinivasan.
The government’s decision followed the findings of a committee led by Health Systems Project Director S Vineeth, which began its probe on July 22 into allegations that poor workers from Pallipalayam and other parts of Namakkal district were lured into selling their kidneys for promised sums of Rs 5 to 10 lakh but were paid less.
The inquiry found that both hospitals violated the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, by submitting forged documents to secure approvals, and that organs were procured from unrelated donors in exchange for money through brokers and transplant coordinators.
The inquiry named two brokers, Anandan and Stanley Mohan, who were the key facilitators of the illegal transplants. Based on bank transactions, phone records, and other evidence, First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.