No more kidney transplants for foreigners in Sri Lanka

Colombo: Sri Lanka on Thursday temporarily suspended kidney transplants for foreigners at government and private hospitals after a racket in India was linked to six local doctors.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne ordered a full investigation into claims by Indian police that the doctors attached to some private hospitals did kidney transplants for Indians involved in a major kidney racket, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Indian police have filed cases against six Sri Lankan doctors in relation to the racket on the charge of conducting paid kidney transplants in violation of ethics.

The Sri Lankan doctors have been accused of allegedly doing 60 kidney transplants.

Police in Nalgonda in Telangana in India arrested the kingpin in the kidney racket, Suresh Prajapathi, and two of his cronies, who facilitated the transplants.

The police also arrested Prajapathi's accomplice Dilip Umedamal Chouhan. (IANS)