KOCHI: On November 29, 2009, 23-year-old Abhin V J of Muvattupuzha suffered a head injury in a bike accident at Kothamangalam. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors suggested he be shifted to a better facility in Kochi the next day.
Doctors at a private hospital in Kochi, where he was admitted for three days, declared him braindead. His parents yielded to the advice of the doctors, and signed a declaration approving the clinical harvest of Abhin’s vital organs so as to aid other patients.
Everything seemed normal until Abhin’s body was taken up for routine postmortem examination at a government hospital in Kochi on December 2, 2009. The police surgeon, who noticed that Abhin’s liver and kidneys were missing, conducted a detailed autopsy.
He found that Abhin had not been not treated for clearing the blood clot inside his head that, ultimately, led to his brain death. The surgeon noted that Abhin had received no proper treatment for the head injury over the four days of hospitalisation.
A police officer, who analysed Abhin’s medical records, confirmed that no attempt was made to treat the head injury. Abhin was placed in a ventilator and was, finally, declared ‘braindead’. Subsequently, an inquiry by a senior police officer at Muvattupuzha revealed Abhin’s life could have been saved through a surgery.
Notably, both the hospitals in Kothamangalam and Kochi had the necessary facilities for surgery. Yet, it wasn’t done. Twelve years have passed by since a case was registered registered, based on the surgeon’s findings, to probe the role of an alleged organ harvesting racket. However, the police have not been able to arrive at a conclusion.
Initially handled by Muvattupuzha police, the case was transferred later to the Central Police Station in Kochi. Finally, it has ended in some dingy file rack of the district crime branch, still waiting for closure.
The police surgeon, who noticed that Abhin’s liver and kidneys were missing, conducted a detailed autopsy. He found that Abhin had not been not treated for clearing the blood clot inside his head