No hospital in Karachi was ready to take Sultan’s heart, lungs for transplant

KARACHI: The family of 23-year-old dental student Sultan Zafar, who was declared brain-dead after a tragic road accident, wanted to donate not just his kidneys but also his heart and lungs to save more lives. Yet, no hospital in Karachi was prepared to harvest and transplant them, leaving the grieving family with both pride and sorrow over an opportunity lost.

Prof. Dr. Tipu Sultan, the renowned anesthesiologist and grandfather of the late Sultan, recalled the most difficult decision his family ever made.

Sultan was the only son of Dr. Meher Afroz, a nephrologist at SIUT.

“We wanted Sultan’s life to continue in others,” Prof Tipu said. “Two patients who had been surviving on dialysis every other day received his kidneys. I met them myself; they are recovering and slowly returning to a normal life. My grandson’s death was not in vain.”

The family’s wish to donate his heart and lungs, however, could not be fulfilled. “Sultan’s heart and lungs were perfectly healthy,” Prof Tipu recounted. “I personally contacted the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) to ask if they could transplant a healthy heart or lungs. But they said they were not yet ready for such transplants in Pakistan. That is a tragedy for our country.”

The young dental student’s life ended abruptly when his car overturned in DHA Phase 8 last week, leaving him with severe head injuries.

Prof Tipu Sultan, who was part of Pakistan’s first-ever kidney transplant alongside Dr. Adeeb Rizvi decades ago, lamented the lack of progress in organ transplantation despite the country’s medical advancements. “Neither religion, nor law, nor culture forbids organ donation,” he said.

Sultan Zafar was laid to rest at Koohi Goth Cemetery beside his late father, who died of liver cancer a few years ago.