Family accuses Cuttack private hospital of organ theft, police exhume body for probe

Baliguda: Police exhumed a man’s body at Tikarbaju village under Baliguda police station area in Kandhamal district for investigation after his family members accused a Cuttack-based private hospital of organ theft.

One Babula Digal of the village received grievous injuries on his head and was in a critical condition after meeting with an accident while he was travelling on a bike along with his son and wife on October 13.

Initially, Babula’s family members admitted him at Baliguda Hospital for treatment. Later, he was shifted to Phulbani District Headquarter Hospital and then to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur as his condition was critical.

After learning about Babula’s health condition at the Berhampur Hospital, the family members further shifted him to a private hospital in Cuttack.

As alleged by the family members, doctors at the Cuttack private hospital said them that Babula’s treatment would begin only when they deposit Rs 1,10,000.

The family members managed to arrange the money. However, the doctors declared him dead sometime after beginning his treatment.

Babula’s body was taken to his village for burial and it is only in the village that the family members found some stitch marks on his abdomen. However, the buried the body.

Later, suspecting that some organs of Babula might have been stolen by the hospital authorities, his family member lodged a complaint at the Baliguda police station as his stomach had cut-mark while he had suffered injuries on the head.

Based on the complaint, police initiated a probe and dugout the body from the burial ground. Further probe is underway.

On the other hand, the authorities of the private hospital refuted the family’s allegation claiming that there was no any organ theft. They had to cut Babula’s stomach to place his skull to avoid it getting decayed. The staff tried the family members to convince for postmortem as it was a case of accident. However, as they did not cooperate, the body was handed over to them.

However, after getting information, the Cuttack Sadar police went to the private hospital and started questioning the staff as the hospital authorities reportedly did not inform them about Babula’s death even though they were intimated while he was getting admitted for treatment. As per the rule, the hospital has to inform the police if an accident victim is admitted for treatment and in case of the patient’s death during treatment. Police said that action will be taken as per the law of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act.

Meanwhile, Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that a probe has been initiated and stringent action would be taken against the people who will be found guilty.