PESHAWAR: The health department has decided to strictly enforce a law made three years ago to regulate removal, storage and transplantation of human organs, tissues and cells for therapeutic purposes in the province.

It has also agreed to provide the requisite staff and funds to the provincial Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority (MTRA) to make it functional.

The decisions in this respect were made during a meeting held here on Monday with health secretary Abid Majeed in the chair.

The meeting was called to examine the implementation of the ineffective KP Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority Act, 2014, following the arrest of a doctor in Pabbi area of Nowshera district last week over illegal kidney transplantation.

MTRA administrator Prof Asif Malik told Dawn said committees were formed at the provincial level a month ago to implement the KP Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority Act, 2014.

He said among the tasks of those committees was the grant of permission of the transplantation of human organs, tissues and cells to the public and private sector hospitals after examining their facilities, and registration of patients.

Health dept to provide staff, funds to transplantation regulatory authority

Prof Asif, who is the head of the urology and renal transplantation department at the Institute of Kidney Diseases (IKD), Hayatabad, said the registration of patients would begin very soon.

“We’ve set up committees to evaluate, monitor and look into the ethical aspects of transplantations to ensure that the procedure take place under the supervision of qualified surgeons hospital or institutes with desired facilities,” he said.

The IKD, which has already been carrying out organ transplantation since 2008 and has done around 240 cases, will serve as umbrella facility to supervise activities in this respect throughout the province.

“We conduct kidney transplant free of charge under the CM Special Initiative programme. Patients get free medicines up to Rs50,000. Our committees conduct extensive research to trace the relations between donors and recipients through the Nadra data, while a religious scholar works on its Islamic aspect,” he said.

Rules say a living donor not less than 18 years of age during his lifetime can voluntarily donate any organ of his body to any other living close blood relative and legally related persons like parent, son, daughter, sister, brother and spouse for treatment purposes.

“The MTRA is responsible to ensure that transplantation is voluntary, genuinely motivated and without any duress or coercion.

A transplant evaluation committee has been constituted, which may allow donation by a non-close blood relative after ensuring that such donation is voluntary,” he said.

Prof Asif also said the law also permitted donation of human organs after death and any person, who was not less than 18 years of age, might, before his death in writing duly signed and verified by the respective TEC, donate any of the organs or tissues for transplantation and authorise any medical institution or hospital duly recognised by the authority to carry out the procedure.

The MTRA administrator said a transplant inquiry committee established under the law would investigate the allegations of breach of any provision of the law, while a transplant ethical regulatory committee would be required to address religious, cultural and ethical issues.

He said the 113-bedded IKD with three transplant surgeons would add 100 more beds as the building was in place.

“We see around 500 patients in nephrology and urology OPDs every day, which also included people of Fata, Punjab and parts of Afghanistan.

We have got 16 dialysis machines free services to patients. The recipients need lifelong treatment,” he said.

Prof Asif said patients were kept under strict observation for one week after transplantation and were subjected to investigations every two weeks for three months.

“We have been receiving people who undergo transplantations by wrong people and the law will regulate the illegal practice,” he said.

The MTRA administrator said the strict enforcement of the MTRA law would pave way for good medical practices in the province.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2017