PESHAWAR: The Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority will hold first-ever seminar to scale up awareness among medical community and general public regarding the significance of organ donation and transplantation.

The one-day seminar will be held on January 10 at Khyber Medical Medical University. The seminar has been organised by Medical Transplant Regulatory Authority, Healthcare Commission (HCC) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Different experts will address the seminar to highlight legal ways of organ transplant besides putting in place measures to encourage people to start donating organs. Health Minister Hisham Inamullah will be chief guest on the occasion.

The participants of a meeting held with Prof Asif Malik, head of the MTRA, in the chair said that they had been asking the hospitals and institutes to fulfil the requirements prior to starting transplants of various organs.

“So far, we have accorded recognition to Institute of Kidney Diseases for renal transplantation to save lives of people through highly-skilled transplant surgeons but it requires public support to begin donating organs,” said Prof Asif.

He appreciated HCC for sealing more than 2,000 illegal clinics as part of its campaign against quackery. He said that role of FIA in curbing illegal medical practices and regulating organ transplant was praiseworthy too.

Prof Asif said that illegal transplantation not only harmed the patients and recipients but also carried heavy penalties. He said that people should avoid undergoing transplantation through illegal means.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2019