Chandigarh: Medical experts from PGI, currently monitoring patients involved in the illegal kidney transplant racket, have raised serious alarms after reviewing their clinical status. The doctors suspect that the surgery was conducted, bypassing stringent transplant protocols that require specialised blood bank facilities, high-end imaging infrastructure and sterile post-operative care units. “There are clear signs that the surgery was performed elsewhere and not in the hospital where the patients were found,” said a PGI doctor. Sources inform that the donor and the recipient have denied that they were aware of the illegal organ trading.After assessing the patients, PGI specialists warned that the first three months post-transplant are critical for survival, as the risk of organ rejection and severe complications remains at its peak during this window. They are particularly concerned that the absence of proper post-operative monitoring could lead to life-threatening infections or acute rejection. “This suggests that the surgery was performed elsewhere and the private hospital in Kharar where the patients were found was apparently a ‘safe’ haven,” said a PGI doctor.The doctors in PGI believe the racket intentionally avoided high-vigilance areas within the city, opting instead for discreet locations on the outskirts to evade health authorities. This strategic movement suggests a well-organised network that prioritises secrecy over patient safety.As medical teams watch for signs of rejection over the coming weeks, the focus remains on identifying the unauthorised medical practitioners who vanished after the procedure and the administrative lapses that allowed such a dangerous operation to take place. Doctors warned that the first 90 days post-transplant are the most critical. Without the specialised immunosuppressant protocols and monitoring found in authorised centres, the risk of acute organ rejection and life-threatening infections is at its peak. “The donor has no infection, indicating the surgery was performed either by a trained specialist or an apprentice with experience,” said a senior transplant surgeon.
