‘Ensure legalised donation, transplant’

LAHORE: Chief Executive Office of Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute Prof Dr Saeed Akhtar has condemned illegal kidney transplantation cases in a private housing society unearthed the other day.

He appealed to people to give the issue of organ trade their due attention. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Prof Dr Saeed Akhtar said if the Punjab government had not given quick response to catch those involved in the crime, the illegal trade of human organs could have spread all across Pakistan and would have not come to surface at all. He said those involved in this heinous crime are a stigma on medical professional.

Dr Saeed Akhtar elaborated on the importance of setting up a centralised system in Pakistan that would ensure a legalised organ donation and transplantation. He said Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute & Research Center (PKLI) is willing to work on this closely with the government of Punjab to set up such a system and monitor its implementation. He mentioned that such legalised systems in Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria and UAE have made them among countries that have high organ donation rates.

Pakistan, however, does not appear on the list. He said although the public is accustomed to the idea of donating blood, donation of organs after death continues to be a problem. Lack of awareness and uncertainty about Islamic viewpoint on organ donation are the main reasons of low organ donation rate in our country, he said.

Dr Saeed Akhtar said passing of the “Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act 2010” has brought down the heinous practice of organ trafficking to a considerable extent and has improved the rate of living organ donation, however, the level of deceased organ donation rate is still negligible. This can be changed by raising public awareness through proper forums and dispelling any misconceptions that people may have about organ donation. Health care professionals and religious scholars are a critical link here since their attitudes and beliefs can influence public opinion.

Dr Saeed Akhtar said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is taking keen interest in early completion of this project. He disclosed that PKLI first phase would be completed by the end of this year which is consisting of 300 beds.

He hoped that the maiden transplantation operation would be carried out in December 2017 at PKLI. This institute would be a state of the art centre of international standard where transplantation would be carried out legally and all ethical formalities would be upheld, he added.