"Commercial organ transplantation resurfaced again"

SIUT head urges govt to take immediate actions against violators of the human organ and tissue transplantation law

By Haris Hanif

April 30, 2011

KARACHI: Pakistan, once considered the largest bazaar of illegal human organ transplantation, has again gained the same reputation as trade of human organs resurfaced in the country.

Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi, head of Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) as well as president of Transplantation Society of Pakistan in a press conference here disclosed this on Friday.

The open practice had come to a halt for a while after a unanimous passage of the bill at the parliament, however, it resurfaced in the country during the last couple of months, Rizvi informed.

He said that prior to the passage of bill Pakistan had become the largest organ bazaar in the world, where over 1,500 foreigners travelled each year for kidney transplantation by paying over $10,000 to $20,000 for each transaction.

Rizvi pointed out that foreign reports and email received at the SIUT provided solid evidence of ongoing illegal transplantation of organs for foreign nationals.

He informed that reports of illicit trades had been forwarded to Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA), Health Ministry and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

He regretted that recently a foreigner, who had come to the country died due to complications but even then the inquiry committee failed to unearth the name of those, who were allegedly involved in the illicit act.

The head of SIUT urged the government and relevant authorities to take immediate actions against the violators of the human organ and tissue transplantation law in order to save the country from turning into a notorious organ bazaar of the world.

Rizvi underscored the need for motivating the society at large so that the thousands of lives can be saved of those patients dying of liver, heart and kidney failures.

While talking to the Daily Times, Rizvi said the illicit practice of organ transplant had really caught on in Punjab, adding, that it was a matter of pity that the despicable act was being done by doctors.

MNA Kishwer Zehra, who is also a member of the Human Rights Committee of the parliament, gave details of her recent visit to certain areas of the country, where poor people were compelled to sell their organs in order to return their outstanding loans.

Prof Ejaz Ahmed of Pakistan Society of Nephrology said that after a gap of several months, newly unrelated transplant patients were seeking follow up with nephrologists in different cities suggesting a resurgence of commercial transplant activity.

Prof Ahmed Fawad of Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons said that the government should adopt strict measures to stop this unlawful activity otherwise poor people of the country will be exploited by the greedy illegal transplant professionals and hospitals.

Later, a documentary film was shown to highlight the plight of poor and dispossessed section of the society, which often forced to sell their organs for socio-economic reasons.

Copyright © 2011 The Daily Times (Pakistan).

This article posted June 8, 2011.