Three out of four harvested organs in the southern Indian city of Chennai went to foreigners

• In 2016 alone, about 427,000 foreigners visited India to seek medical treatment.
  
• In 2017, foreign nationals underwent about 25% of the heart transplants and 33% of the lung transplants in Tamil Nadu.
  
• As on June 9, 2018, the number of active patients on the organ transplant list has 53 foreigners in contrast to 5310 Indians.

It is no secret that India’s healthcare sector is desperately shoddy, at least for those who lack resources (read: money). For those who do have ‘resources’, India is an absolute haven with brilliant doctors and top-notch facilities.

Take, for example, the country’s booming medical tourism industry. In 2016 alone, about 427,000 foreigners visited India to seek medical treatment. The income from the Indian medical tourism sector was estimated to be around a staggering $3 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow upwards of $7 billion by 2020. And while these numbers may just make one feel proud, a fact to be recognised is that an average Indian is paying a deadly price for all of this.

In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, an organ transplant racket has been unearthed. A report in The Hindu states three out of every four hearts that were harvested from brain-dead patients in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, were given to foreign nationals, bypassing the Indian entries on the waiting list.

Prof. Bhandari, the director of National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), told The Hindu that the protocol mandates that an organ should first be offered to an Indian on the waitlist. And if no Indian requires the organ, an NRI should be considered. An international patient can only receive the organ when both of the above options have been visited.

However, in 2017, foreign nationals received about 25% of the heart transplants and 33% of the lung transplants in Tamil Nadu. In total, foreigners underwent 31 heart transplants, 32 lung transplants and 32 heart and lung transplants in 2017. In the same year, Indians received 91 heart transplants, 75 lung transplants and 6 heart and lung transplants.

Unsurprisingly, securing an organ transplant is a luxury mostly reserved for the rich. Currently, most hospitals in the country charge about Rs. 2 to 2.5 million for a heart transplant, while a kidney transplant can cost around Rs. 200,000 to Rs. 300,000. As on June 9, 2018, the number of active patients on the organ transplant list has 53 foreigners in contrast to 5310 Indians.

In a recent high-level meeting in New Delhi on the allocation of organs to foreigners, authorities observed that the cost of a heart transplant was so high in Chennai that only foreigners were able to afford it.

While the number of organ donors has increased fourfold, if this trend continues, Indians will not be reaping the benefits.