PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department is considering to allow liver transplantation, for the first time in the province, at a private hospital, according to sources.

Rehman Medical Institute, a Peshawar-based private hospital, has moved an application to Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority for launching liver transplantation in the province. The MTRA, formed in February this year, is considering the request of the RMI and a team will be deputed to take stock of the situation with regard to availability of infrastructure and human resources there.

The authority constituted in line with KP Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority Act, 2014, has already accorded registration to Institute of Kidney Diseases, Hayatabad Medical Complex for renal transplantation and to four hospitals including public sector medical teaching institutions Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex and Rehman Medical Institute for cornea transplantation.

MTRA team to visit private hospital for granting recognition

The authority has put on hold the process of granting approval for registration to KTH for renal transplant due to the ongoing civil works there.

Officials said that the RMI’s application for liver transplant was being considered by MTRA. “Soon after Eidul Fitre , the MTRA will constitute an inspection team to visit RMI and see the facilities for liver transplantation,” they added.

They said that after the visit, the report would be placed in the authority’s meeting for approval and grant of registration. They said that transplant activities were beginning in the province following the installation of MTRA.

The officials said that about 16 human organs were transplanted to save lives in developing countries. However, there was no culture of organ donations in Pakistan due to which people looked towards black market or proceeded abroad, especially China where transplantation was far cheaper than Europe.

KP has passed a law in 2014 that remained in limbo till occurrence of an incidence early this year in which a racket of doctors involved in illegal kidney transplantation was unearthed. As the province had no law, so the team of medics brought the donors and recipients from outside the province and earned huge amount.

The incident alerted the health department, which swung into action and formed MTRA and rules to implement the law and deter those, who were in the habit of carrying illegal transplants. Since then, one case of kidney transplantation has been conducted successfully while RMI and North West General Hospital have also been granted recognition for renal transplants. Both the facilities are likely to conduct transplants soon as both have infrastructure for the purpose.

In the last meeting of MTRA, it was decided to launch campaign to scale up awareness about significance of organ donation among the people. The meeting asked MTRA administrator Prof Asif Malik to write letters to secretary education and vice-chancellor of Khyber Medical University to enlist their support for advocacy campaign for organ donation.

The MTRA also considers plans to propose to government to include lessons about organ donations in syllabus of schools and colleges.

Officials at MTRA said that there was only a single example of organ donation in the history of the province. Only late governor Fazal Haq had donated his corneas, which were implanted to two patients at LRH.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2018