Health CS Aden Duale exposes how Mediheal transplant report was sabotaged

Two staff members from the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS) sabotaged a Ministry of Health report on organ transplants at Mediheal Hospital, forcing the government to disown its findings and launch a fresh investigation, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has told Parliament.

Speaking before the National Assembly’s Health Committee on Thursday, Duale said the officials altered the final version of a fact-finding committee report on alleged kidney transplants involving foreigners at Mediheal, which had been prompted by a letter from the Transplantation Society.

Due to this interference, said Duale, some committee members refused to sign the report, which was then declared unofficial.

“All the members did not sign the report of this committee because it was doctored. The whole team agreed on a report, but when it came time for signing, two members decided to oppose it, saying that it was not their report,” Duale said.

He revealed that the initial committee had been made up of specialists from across medical and regulatory fields, including transplant experts, bioethicists, and officials from KBTTS and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board.

However, the internal disagreements derailed its work and compromised its credibility.

“While the initial team completed its deliberations, the report produced was not endorsed unanimously due to significant dissenting views among the team members. Furthermore, the report was not formally submitted to the Ministry of Health for consideration or action. As a result, the findings and recommendations from this report are deemed non-binding and without legal or administrative standing,” Duale explained.

The CS said he took action by suspending the implicated officials and establishing a new Independent Investigative Committee on Organ Transplant Services (IICOTS), which is expected to submit its final report by July 22, 2025.

“The Ministry of Health awaits a report by the IICOTS by the end of July 2025, at which point we shall act upon its recommendations,” Duale stated.

“The people who committed, facilitated, and aided organ trafficking in the country should be looked for. I have an obligation to protect the health of the people,” a member of the committee said.

The previous report, which was ultimately rejected, cleared Mediheal Hospital but noted suspicious trends and unexplained details.

It revealed that the hospital had performed 372 kidney transplants between 2018 and 2023, including 222 between late 2018 and mid-2021.

The report acknowledged that while consent was documented and translated for donors, and surgeries were conducted laparoscopically, it failed to explain the repeated appearance of the name “Yusuf” across different cases, particularly among foreign recipients and donors. It also flagged that all procedures involving foreign nationals were paid for in cash.

It further called for Kenya to protect vulnerable donors who may be at risk of being exploited or coerced.

The committee was unable to trace the specific cases referenced by the Transplantation Society’s letter and said further details were needed to identify the recipients and donors involved.

Other Topics To Read

• Health
• Aden Duale
• Swarup Mishra
• Mediheal Hospital
• Mediheal Group of Hospitals
• Mediheal kidney trafficking
• Health CS Aden Duale exposes how Mediheal transplant report was sabotaged
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