Mediheal Group of Hospitals chairman, Dr Swarup Mishra. [File, Standard]A battle of conscience is raging between Parliament and the Ministry of Health over rot in the country’s organ donation and transplant system.At its centre is Dr Swarup Mishra, chairman of Mediheal Group of Hospitals, and a deeply incriminating report that was quietly watered down before being presented to the public. The Standard has obtained and analysed two documents: the Independent Investigative Committee on Tissue and Organ Transplant Services (IICTOTS) report, a comprehensive, 338-page audit submitted to the Ministry of Health in July 2025, and the final Parliamentary Departmental Committee on Health report, tabled on April 15, 2026. In the two documents, Parliament and the Ministry of Health offer dramatically opposed versions of the same dark report.
The MoH report is a forensic audit that found evidence of “systematic exploitation,” “organised trafficking networks,” and documentation presenting evidence of wrongdoing. On the other hand, the final report of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health concluded that “the Committee did not find evidence linking the hospital to any illegalities,” and recommended all sanctions on Mediheal be lifted. The IICTOTS report reads like a horror show, with the testimony of Dr AM, the senior nephrologist at Mediheal’s kidney transplant programme, stating: “Dr AM highlighted the absence of multidisciplinary team meetings, hospital ethics committee teams, quality management teams or meetings, and formal audit meetings with documented minutes, repeatedly describing himself as running a ‘one-man show.’ It is essential to recognise that transplants are a ‘team sport’ and require many different specialities for good outcomes.
