KARACHI: ‘Breakthrough in cadaver donation law likely’: SIUT moot on transplantation
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 15: The forthcoming international meeting of the Asian Society of Transplantation at Karachi would play an instrumental role in the re-advent and promotion of the cadaver organ donation culture in the country, hoped senior doctors engaged in renal transplants.
Briefing newsmen about the organization of the ninth Congress of the Asian Society of Transplantation (CAST) on Tuesday, doctors of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), who are the host of the specialized moot, said that had the Brain Death Law implemented in Pakistan the scenario pertaining to the kidney replacement and end stage renal diseases would have been different and an improved one.
The director of SIUT, Prof Syed Adibul Hasan Rizvi, who led the press conference, was of the view that in the developing countries, including Pakistan, 73,000 kidneys, 22,000 livers, 20,000 hearts and 7,000 lungs were needed for transplantations, but they could get only 1.6 per cent of the failing organs replaced.
He noted that Pakistan which was a signatory to an international convention on transplantation had been failing to have the much emphasized cadaver organ donation law. The situation was favouring the commercialization of organs, benefiting the foreign buyers and other exploiters in the private sector, he added, saying that private centres undertook 1,500 cases, with organs purchased from unrelated donors, and 60 per cent beneficiaries being foreigners.
While stressing that the country should have a legalized system for donation of organs from a brain dead subject, Dr Rizvi urged doctors, legislators, intellectuals, journalists, and the community above all to play their due role and save kidneys from being a commercial commodity.
To a question, he said that different presentations had been made to the government and others at the helm of affairs on the issue of organ donation during the last 25 years, but to no avail.
The SIUT director said that he did not know about any obvious reason or valid opposition against the needed law, but could say that CAST could be a forum which could play significant role in the introduction of a legislation for cadaver organ donation in Pakistan, which was the only country among the Islamic world failing to implement the Brain Death Law.
He said that CAST was held after every three years to discuss problems and development in the field of organ transplantation. Pakistan was selected earlier twice in the past but could not hold the event for various reasons, while the latest mishap in the city (the PIDC blast on Tuesday morning) could also raise concern among the foreign delegates, he added.
However, Dr Rizvi hoped that things would remain in control and the congress would be held as per the schedule from Nov 29 as a leading medical event in the Asian region.
Later, Dr Anwar Naqvi and Dr Fatema Jawad of the SIUT unveiled the details of the four-day CAST and a SIUT’s fifth international symposium on urology, nephrology and transplantation. Cast will be held at a local hotel, while the symposium will be held on Dec 3 and 4 at the SUIT premises, near Civil Hospital.
About 200 delegates comprising senior professionals, transplant surgeons, scientists and researchers from the Asian region and other parts of the world are expected to attend and make presentations at the congress, which comprises three sections focussing on transplantation efforts, outcome and improvement.
Another about 1,000 medical practitioners from Pakistan would be participating in the congress and SIUT symposium.
In the meantime, Prof Dr Farhat Moazzam, chairperson of SIUT-Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, informed the newsmen that her centre was also organizing an international conference and workshops on “Fundamentals of research ethics: international and regional perspectives” on Nov 28 and 29, part of CAST and SIUT symposium.
Guest speakers of the workshop belonged to the USA, India, Switzerland, China, Egypt, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Luc Noel of WHO from Switzerland will also speak at the ethics’ workshop.
