December 19, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 8, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 18: The illegal kidney transplant trade continues in the provincial capital despite the promulgation of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Ordinance 2007 four months ago.

Sources told Dawn on Tuesday that some private health facilities in the city still indulged in the activity, exposing the federal government’s tall claims that it had addressed the issue comprehensively after promulgating the ordinance.

The law provides for an imprisonment up to 10 years and also a fine of Rs1 million to a person involved in the sale and purchase of human organs.

DIG (investigation) Tassaduq Husain confirmed that the police had so far received at four complaints which were being investigated.

The sources said when the government had taken ‘strict action’ against the owners of three private hospitals in Lahore for their alleged involvement in the kidney trade some five months ago, the other private facilities, which were also doing the same business in the city and other parts of the province, became very careful.

“Since there has been no implementation of the law, such elements have resurfaced and are doing the business with impunity,” Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Lahore finance secretary Dr Shahid Malik said and called for implementation of the ordinance in letter and spirit.

Dr Malik said some powerful elements at the helm of affairs were causing ‘deliberate’ delay in the implementation of the law.

Though the federal government was supposed to implement the law through provincial monitoring committees that were to inspect health facilities, especially private ones, in order to allow better equipped hospitals to carry out transplant operations soon after the promulgation of the ordinance, the authorities concerned took some four months to move a bit towards the direction.

According to the law, only recognised institutions and registered doctors will carry out transplant services.

The government has already formed a Human Organs and Tissues Ordinance Authority to recognise hospitals for transplantation of human organs and tissues as part of its over-all regulatory role.

Any living donor, not less than 18 years of age, can voluntarily donate any organ or tissue of his/her body to any other person genetically and legally related, who is a close blood relative or non-blood relative — husband, wife and relatives by marriage (in-laws) under this law. Any donor, not less than 18 years of age, may before his death, by a will in writing, donate any of his/her organ or tissue for transplantation.

The law says a foreigner will have to bring a donor along if he or she wants to undergo a kidney transplant in Pakistan.

After the ban was enforced in India in 1996, foreigners rushed to Pakistan for the purpose.

“About $15,000 and $20,000 are usually charged from a foreigner for kidney transplant and over Rs500,000 from a local,” said a police officer, adding the (kidney) mafia was quite active in Punjab and its network could be dented only with the strict implementation of the organs law.