‘Forward texts on organ donations illegal’

The doctors claim that messages seeking people to come forward and donate their kidney are hoax and urge the public to refrain from falling for such messages.

From messages stating that a patient is on his death bed and is willing to donate his organs to those in which family members eagerly calling out to the public to come forward and donate their kidney for an emergency case, WhatsApp groups have witnessed all.

“In the case of a patient being suspected to be brain dead, the hospital must first confirm the same before seeking the family’s consent to donate the organs. Advertising the availability of organs or sale of organs is considered a criminal offense,” said Dr Anna T, a Nephrologist.

Stating that such messages are mostly hoax, she said, “Unlike in the case of blood donations, organ donations cannot be done based on goodwill. Any organ donation has to be done through the State’s Transplant Authority which will follow the rules, taking into consideration, the persons who have been waitlisted for the organs.”