MUMBAI, MAY 22: Dhani Ram Baruah, who shot to notoriety when he implanted a pig's organs into a man's body in Guwahati - an operation which proved fatal - is in trouble once again. According to the Santacruz Electronics Export Promotion Zone (SEEPZ) administration, the development commission has sealed his unit for defaulting on export commitments and non-payment of rent.

In fact, the man who shot to fame when he claimed success in making, what he called, was the first implantable biological heart, is in quite a financial mess. He owes over Rs 3.3 lakh to SEEPZ, Rs 1.2 crore to the State Bank of India, Rs 1.3 lakh to an interior designer, Rs two lakh to a colonel and salaries to some of his employees. Baruah is currently in Guwahati.

He used to manufacture hearts and heart valves at his `Heart House-Baruah Medical Research Laboratories Private Limited' at SDF 5 Unit number 141-144 at SEEPZ. According to sources, Baruah owes over Rs 3.3 lakh as rent to SEEPZ. However, the main reason why he was thrown out, they say, is because his exports were worth only Rs 2 crore, while his target was Rs 20 crore.

Baruah, however insists his unit is only `temporarily closed' and will resume operations after his deputy Saigeeta Achrekar returns to Mumbai by the end of May.``Only Saigeeta and myself are qualified to run the unit. Without a leader, the girls (employees) will be wasting precious time and money, so they have been asked not to come to work for some time,'' says Baruah.

In a letter to the development commissioner, SEEPZ, dated April 7, 1997 Baruah says: ``My institute of heart valve manufacturing is kept closed. I request you to allow me three months' time and during this period, rent will be paid and our activities restarted.''

At his closely guarded `Heart House', Baruah used to manufacture artificial heart valves made from animal tissue. The valves have a stent frame of pure zirconium (a rare metal used in nuclear reactors). The frame is covered with the pericardium (outer covering of the heart) of oxen, which is harvested within 20 minutes of slaughter. This tissue was obtained daily from freshly slaughtered oxen at the Deonar abattoir.

Baruah was first granted a loan by the State Bank of India, SEEPZ branch in 1986-87 to set up his plant. The bank waived the inspection clause taking into account the medically sensitive nature of his laboratory. Before entering Baruah's lab, one had to undergo blood, urine and stool tests along with a `clinical bath' with chemicals provided by him. In addition, Baruah had clearly stated that if the person's entry caused any damage in the laboratory, he would be held responsible. Naturally, no one was prepared to enter the place.

According to State Bank officials, one of the conditions laid before Baruah, was that the valves would be certified by a technical authority appointed by the Bank. However, no such authority was appointed because no biological valves were exported. Baruah later approached the bank for another loan.

Producing letters of credit (LoC), Baruah assured the bank that he would pay off both the loans with the proceeds of confirmed export orders. He was granted the loan. In this period, Baruah also took a loan from the Central Bank of India. This was repaid with the second loan obtained from the SBI.

However, the promised exports never materialised. The SBI filed a suit against Baruah in 1994. A court receiver was appointed, but before he could act, Baruah's properties were seized by the Development Commission. But Baruah says that SBI owes him Rs 3.3 crore! ``They delayed giving me the loan. By the time I got the money, my Letter of Credit had expired. So, I incurred losses,'' he explains. State Bank authorities assert that his claim is incorrect and the bank does not owe him anything.

Even after all the controversies and the trouble with his financers, Dhani Ram Baruah has not lost heart. At Sonapur near Guwahati, he continues his medical research. In fact, he claims he is all set to carry out two other pig-heart transplants.

In January, Baruah had transplanted a pig's heart, lungs and kidneys into Purna Saikia who died after undergoing a series of operations. Baruah was arrested soon after, under the `Human Organs Act', and let out on bail 41 days later. Baruah claims that Purna Saikia died due to infection.

Baruah's passport has been confiscated. He is prohibited from leaving Guwahati, and he has to report to the local police station twice a week. He is not allowed to perform surgery without prior permission of the Indian Medical Council (IMC) or the Guwahati High Court.

Baruah now plans to conduct pig-organ transplants on 26-year-old Anil Kumar from Andhra Pradesh and 22-year-old Eba Moni Baruah from Dewrigaon. Baruah says he has explained the nature of the operation, type of donors, risks involved and results to both patients and their relatives. ``If the IMC turns down my plea to conduct this operation, I'll ask my patient to go to the High Court,'' he asserts.

Baruah's associate, Jonathan Ho from Hong Kong, meanwhile has agreed to turn a approver and has been permitted to return to his country. Ho was dismissed from a Beijing hospital after he transplanted a buffalo's organs into a human being.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.