The Ministry of Health has launched investigations into Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret following allegations of organ trafficking involving foreign nationals.
This development follows concerns raised by the Transplantation Society in a letter dated July 20, 2023.
The letter flagged a rise in kidney transplants involving Israeli patients in Kenya, raising suspicion of a possible organ trafficking syndicate exploiting loopholes in the country’s healthcare system.
Specifically, the society alleged that several transplants involving trafficked foreign donors had been carried out at Mediheal Hospital.
In response, the Ministry constituted a multidisciplinary investigative team comprising kidney transplant experts, ethicists, government health officials, and academic professionals.
The team conducted a fact finding mission at the facility from December 5 to 8, 2023, with the aim of verifying the allegations, auditing transplant practices, and making recommendations.
Mediheal Hospital, a Level 5 private facility, had performed 372 kidney transplants over five years, with recipients from Kenya, East Africa, and other countries including Israel, Australia, Japan, and the USA.
Discoveries
The team discovered that while consent forms were available, there was inadequate documentation to verify donor recipient relationships.
Human tissue samples had been sent to India for testing without proper Ministry of Health approval.
Some transplant procedures were carried out despite poor compatibility, and documentation was not translated for non English speakers.
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The hospital lacked clinical outcome reports and had not established a functional multidisciplinary transplant team.
Regulate transplant tourisim
The team urged the Ministry to develop national standards and a legislative framework to curb organ trafficking and regulate transplant tourism.
Other recommendations included establishing a centralized transplant registry, enforcing due diligence in donor recruitment, and ensuring ethical oversight in all transplant procedures.
Developed transplant service standards
The Ministry of Health announced it has already developed transplant service standards and a national policy on blood and organ transplantation.
A draft bill addressing the use of human origin substances is also in the pipeline and will soon undergo public participation.
A follow up clinical audit will be conducted at Mediheal to assess compliance. Similar audits are also planned for all seven transplant performing facilities across the country.
