The National Assembly Health Committee says it will complete a parallel parliamentary investigation into allegations of unethical organ transplant practices at Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret within a month.
The committee, which Seme MP James Nyikal chairs, says it has nearly finished investigating the alleged suspicious organ transplant activities at the hospital and will release a comprehensive final report next month.
Dr Nyikal told the media on Monday that the committee is currently analyzing a report from the hospital before writing their final report. The committee met with the management of Mediheal Group of Hospitals and their legal representatives as part of the ongoing inquiry into the legality, ethical compliance, and oversight of past kidney transplants at the private hospital.
He disclosed that the committee traveled to Eldoret two months ago, where it met with some patients who had donated their organs and visited other hospitals allegedly involved in the matter.
Offering a preview of some aspects of the hospital’s submission, the lawmaker said the extensive report from Mediheal reveals that the facility performed 470 organ transplants, including kidney transplants.
The report also contains details about the patients, both donors and recipients, who were involved, as well as their nationalities.
“We believe we have a detailed report that will help us reach a conclusion. We’re going to scrutinize the report and reach a conclusion within a month,” Dr Nyikal said.
The legislator said the committee cannot conclusively determine at this point whether the 470 organ transplants Mediheal facilities conducted were illegal or not.
However, he said the facilities were clearly performing organ transplants, with patients including both locals and foreigners.
“What we know is that transplants were going on at the hospitals but we cannot say whether they were proper or not until we go through the entire report,” he said.
The committee is investigating whether Mediheal followed ethical and legal procedures, whether anyone coerced or paid donors, and whether existing legal or institutional gaps enabled potential malpractices to occur. They questioned officials from Mediheal and other hospitals in Eldoret as part of this investigation over the allegations, particularly regarding foreign nationals who received transplants which the National Health Insurance Fund funded.
The other facilities include Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, St Luke Orthopaedic and Trauma Centre, and Oak Tree Hospital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
The committee wants to find out whether the transplants or donations were legal, whether doctors properly advised people, and whether everyone followed all the requirements.
A petition in Parliament alleging organ harvesting and illegal transplants triggered the committee’s inquiry.
This followed growing public concern over possible breaches of professional ethics, transplant tourism, and commercialization of organ donations by Mediheal.
In April this year, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale ordered the immediate suspension of all kidney transplant services at Mediheal Group of Hospitals until further notice following allegations of malpractice and ethical violations related to transplant procedures at the facility.
The government thereafter formed an Independent Expert Committee to undertake a comprehensive audit of kidney transplant services in all facilities owned by Mediheal for the last five years.
Accordingly, the committee was mandated to review governance structures, clinical practices, ethical compliance, and patient safety protocols, and was expected to submit its report within 90 days.
In its July report, the independent committee recommended the immediate investigation and prosecution of possible criminal involvement by authorities against Swarup Mishra, the owner of Mediheal Hospital, and other doctors.
