KARACHI, Aug 28: The long-pending brain death law in the country is largely hampering life expectancy as well as quality survival of numerous local patients suffering from renal and/or liver failure besides those suffering from relevant malignancies.

Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi, Director, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) talking to journalists on Saturday reminded that “Cadaver Organ Donation” was also very much needed in the country to prevent illegal organ sale.

There was not only a need to combat exploitation of the resource-less, compelled to sell their organs, but introduction of cadaver donation would also streamline the process of organ transplantation in the country.

“Besides, this will further open vistas for thousands suffering from organ failures due to a wide range of contributory factors,” he added.

Giving an overall view of the SIUT, Prof Rizvi said the institute being a public sector institution received funds from government and public donations and zakat.

“Around 60 per cent of the SIUT budget comes through charity. Last year Rs480 million was spent on patients. Out of this, Rs230 million was spent only on medicines including transplant medications. While Rs95 million was spent on dialysis, Rs50 million on lab tests, and Rs30 million on G.I. services,” he said.

He informed that the SIUT was spending Rs24 million on surgery of new transplant patients while lithotripsy cost around Rs24 million, and Rs23 million were spent on radiology last year.

As the number of patients was increasing and financial resources were not sufficient to meet needs, the SIUT has started a ‘Sponsor a Patient’ programme. One can sponsor dialysis of one patient by donating Rs150,000 per year.

Transplant surgery of one patient could be sponsored by donating Rs200,000 for one patient, Rs15,000 to 45,000 per person for sponsorship of renal surgery of one patient, and lithotripsy could be sponsored by donating Rs10,000 per patient, he added.

Also speaking on the occasion, Prof Anwar Naqi of the SIUT said that at least one million patients had visited 26 special clinics of the SIUT during the last 10 years.

Some 0.3 million patients were admitted to and provided emergency treatment at the indoor departments of urology, nephrology and transplantation and 0.25 million patients were provided medical care. Some 1,500 renal transplants were performed.

In the dialysis unit, 100 dialysis machines working round the clock performed 0.53 million sessions during this period.

Prof Naqi said that 0.2 million surgeries were performed on needy patients in 10 operation theatres of the institute.

He informed that nine million various kinds of tests including tissue typing, PCR, DNA typing and electron microscopy were performed in the institute’s state-of-the-art laboratory.

The SIUT had to bear the burden of all these services although it did not cost patients anything.

Prof Naqi mentioned that the SIUT had spent Rs1.5 billion in the last 10 years on the care of needy patients.

To a query, he said that the Hanifa Suleman Urological Oncology Centre for the SIUT would also be completed in the second week of September 2005 at a cost of Rs0.5 billion. This amount includes equipment.—APP/PPI