Consider plea to donate kidney, health department told
BENGALURU: Expressing displeasure over the delays on the part of authorities in considering the application of a senior Army officer seeking permission for kidney transplantation, the High Court on Wednesday directed the Health and Family Welfare Department to consider the application immediately.Justice Aravind Kumar issued this direction after hearing the petition of a donor who is willing to donate her kidney to an ailing senior Army officer. The department was asked to conduct the meeting of the appropriate authority, which has been set up to look into the applications seeking permission for kidney transplantation and give permission immediately, as the issue is kept pending from last April.
Varsha Sharma moved the Karnataka High Court as the Commissioner for Health and Family Welfare Department declined her permission on April 10, 2018 to donate kidney to Colonel Pankaj Bhargava, working at Head Quarters as Chief Engineer Southern Command, Camp, Pune.
The application was not considered despite the undertaking given before the court on May 10 that the application would be considered within 24 hours. When the court sought to know the reason why it was kept pending, it was informed that there was no quorum in the committee constituted to clear the applications, as the term of four nominees had expired.Then, the court observed that lack of quorum should not be an impediment and immediate steps need to be taken by the authorities on the issue.