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April 01, 2001
When evidence of trade in organs for transplantation from live vendors reached attention in the West, widely different groups indignantly denounced it. Restricting my remarks to kidneys, I suggest that this indignation is misplaced. Those criticising the rich for greed appear to lose sight of the...
April 01, 2001
I am one of those who, according to Radcliffe-Richards et al, oppose the practice of buying kidneys from live vendors from a feeling of "outrage and disgust." These feelings are by no means irrational. They are based on a bedrock of moral principle: that no human being should exploit another.
April 01, 2001
In ancient times, before the realisation of the importance of the action of the heart and circulation of blood, a person was deemed to have died when he stopped breathing. The reflecting surface of a mirror was held before the face of the sick person. Death was diagnosed when the mirror was not f...
April 01, 2001
Six years since the passing of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, recognising brain death, only 28 cadaver kidneys have been transplanted in Mumbai. Why is our cadaver organ transplant programme in such a sorry state?
April 01, 2001
The transplantation of organs is a triumph of modern medicine. Kidney transplantation provides a longer life expectancy and better quality of life than maintenance with dialysis does. Successful liver and heart transplantation are life saving. However, there is a wide gap between the need for org...
January 01, 2001
Ethics, as a code of conduct, go beyond the law. Based on values and morals, they are grounded in the culture of the land, and are open to different interpretations. In addition, ethics in research are modulated to some extent by the culture of "science." It is encouraging that ethical guidelines...
January 01, 2001
The field of medical ethics in India has until recently revolved largely around issues in medical practice or research involving clinical interventions / contraceptive trials, etc. However, as more and more of us venture into health systems research that links with other social issues and probes ...
January 01, 2001
This essay is based on issues relating to a study of sexuality among low-income college students in Mumbai. Low-income students were made the focus because: existing urban studies are on English speaking students in 'elite' colleges; sex education programmes had not really started in 'non-elite' ...
January 01, 2001
Conventionally one conceptualises the research relationship as one between two sets of free agents — researchers and participants — who may have different levels of control over the research process. However, conducting research on women inevitably absorbs into the interaction several other playe...
October 01, 2000
The approach to ethical medical practice is easy to define. It rests on the premise that the doctor's primary ethical commitment is to his/her patient. The doctor is supposed to spare no effort to see that everything is done in the best interests of the patient, for his/her survival or well being...