The last two - thre years have slowly seen the media and beurocrats take an upper hand in the transplant programme. The media has constantly exposed doctors and found them easy victims  of a system that promotes  unrelated transplants, doesn’t do much to push for cadaver  transplants, doesn’t  understand the shortfalls in  The THO Act  and postpones sensible  recommendations  to streamline the programme, refuses to have  an ongoing dialogue on various issues concerning the  programme.  The wakeup call usually comes when there is an expose or a sting operation by the media.  There is an uproar for a short time, a few people are arrested and slowly it recedes till another  place and so it goes on and on.

The recent trend in the west to look at a regulated unrelated programme as a serious   alternative to overcome shortage of kidneys has also given many who believe ib this philosophy a boost to put forward their arguments to exploit  the poor for the benefit of a few rich and affordable  patients. However, this may temporarily overcome the shortfall  od kidneys. what about livers and heart and other such critical organs? There is also a dangerous trend in our country to look at live unrelated liver program as an option. We hope enough sense prevails on our liver colleagues not to encourage this practice.