I'll face the law if guilty - Mediheal boss Swarup Mishra denies organ trafficking claims

Mediheal Group founder Swarup Mishra has said he is willing to face the law if found guilty of involvement in alleged organ trafficking.

This comes amid growing scrutiny over the hospital’s transplant procedures.

He dismissed the allegations, stating the hospital has carried out 476 kidney transplants since November 2018, including procedures for 62 Israeli patients. The hospital insists all operations were conducted legally and ethically.

Speaking in Eldoret on Wednesday, Mishra, who was flanked by Lawyer Katwa Kigen, dismissed the accusations as baseless and announced plans to sue the German media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) over the exposé, which he termed as defamatory.

“This report is malicious and harmful to the integrity of our hospital. It is based on non-factual investigations,” Mishra said.

“These claims are entirely unfounded and are not supported by any credible evidence. We remain committed to delivering ethical, safe, and world-class healthcare to our patients and reaffirm our unwavering dedication to medical integrity.”

Lawyer Kigen confirmed that a demand letter had already been issued to DW. “We probably should just mention also that we’ve issued a demand letter to those German media outlet for false misrepresentation.”

He also dismissed reports that some organ donors had expressed concerns for their safety following the exposé.

“We saw yesterday in some of the media outlets, some people, I think, mainly donors, saying they feel threatened. We want to say that this has nothing to do with Mediheal, and we are happy to cooperate with any institution,” Kigen added.

Kigen noted that Mediheal began performing kidney transplants in November 2018 after receiving official licensing and authorisation from the Ministry of Health. “We have a letter from the Ministry of Health to that effect.”

He said the hospital had performed 476 kidney transplants to date, with 371 being for Kenyan patients and 105 for foreigners.

“The foreigners were from Israel, Germany, the United States, Burundi, DRC, Somalia, among other countries,” he explained.

He claimed the hospital maintains a kidney transplant success rate of 98 per cent.

“Of the 476, we have had less than two per cent mortality, and they all relate to recipients of the organs. We have had zero mortality relating to those who donated the organs,” Kigen added.

Mediheal reiterated its commitment to cooperate with government agencies conducting investigations into the matter.

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“We are not involved in the trafficking of human organs. We are not in any syndicate, and we will cooperate with security agencies, parliamentary committees, the Ministry of Health, and any other institution looking into the matter,” Kigen said.

The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health has since launched an 80-day public inquiry into the allegations.

Addressing a press conference at Bunge Towers on Tuesday, Seme MP James Nyikal, who chairs the committee, said the probe seeks to examine the legality, ethical compliance and oversight of kidney transplant services offered at the facility.

Nyikal said the committee will recommend appropriate legal or policy reforms aimed at protecting the integrity of the country’s healthcare system.