LAHORE, Jan 16: A criminal case will be registered against the people found involved in the sale of kidneys in the “public-sector health facilities”. Such a direction came from the provincial health department on Tuesday which also asked the director-general health services, all principals of autonomous medical institutions, heads of special institutions, executive district officers (health), medical superintendents of teaching hospitals, and district and tehsil headquarters to ensure that no case of kidney sale was reported.

“In case any person, be it a doctor, is found carrying out the practice in these facilities, the matter should be reported to the provincial chief for action,” says a directive which, however, has no mention of any action against the doctors carrying out the heinous practice at their private clinics.

It also did not say about the measures the department was adopting to check the practice in the public-sector health facilities.

Pakistan Medical Association Finance Secretary Dr Shahid Malik told Dawn that the directive seemed to have been issued merely to fulfill a ‘formality’. In fact, he said, there was no law to book anyone involved in kidney trade in the country.

He alleged that a group of doctors had not been letting a draft bill clear for four years so that it could be presented in the National Assembly for legislation to check the menace. Dr Malik added that the PMA had long been demanding immediate legislation in this regard.

A senior doctor was of the view that the directive was in line with the Supreme Court order. The court had recently directed the government to enact a law to curb organ trade, observing that if there was any hiccup in it then the presidential ordinance should be promulgated.

“It is very unfortunate that the government functionaries are quick to enact laws of less importance, but bother least about those which are directly related to common man’s issues like health and education,” the physician said.

Reports say the trend of illegal sale and purchase of organs, especially kidney, is on the rise in the country. Private hospitals and clinics involved in the illegal removal and transplant of kidneys are making a fast buck without any hindrance.

About two decades ago a draft proposal was reportedly prepared in this regard, but it could never see the light of the day.

The other side of the coin shows that abject poverty compels people to sell their organs for a few thousand rupees. It is learnt that a private clinic or hospital offers Rs50,000 to Rs100,000 to a donor. However, most of the times the donor is not given the full amount he is promised. Such health facilities charge between Rs250,000 and Rs600,000 from a recipient for transplantation. They charge up to Rs1 million in case the recipient is a foreigner.