KARACHI, Jan 22: The Director, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi, has recommended need to legitimize cadaver organ donation in the country, particularly in the backdrop of the ever burgeoning list of locals awaiting organ transplantation.

Talking to APP on Tuesday, he regretted that Pakistan had appeared to be the only Muslim country around the globe where cadaver organ donation culture was yet to be legalized.

To a query regarding dialysis, he said it was a temporary measure to prolong the life of a patient suffering from an end stage renal failure disease, while the ultimate cure is transplantation.

“The intervention must be made available to the locals as early as possible as there exist well equipped centres manned by competent and well trained staff,” he said.

“21 cadaver organ transplantations have been successfully made in SIUT only during the last few years,” he said, mentioning that one of them was locally donated by the family of a 18-year- old deceased boy, while the other came from abroad.

Regretting lack of political will for a decision to be made in public interest, Dr Rizvi mentioned that despite detailed presentations, regarding transplantation and significance of cadaver donation twice before the health committee of the defunct Senate, no headway was made in this context.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference, the SIUT director said the free dialysis programme which was launched during previous regime with the help of zakat donations came to an abrupt halt primarily due to the improper and faulty planning.

According to him, the SIUT institute was bearing the brunt of closure of the programme as the number of patients from interior of Sindh and upcountry seeking dialysis mode of treatment had increased manifold as a result the annual expenditures of the institute had gone up by Rs10.75 million.

He said the institute in accordance with its ongoing post- graduation programme was about to formally inaugurate a centre for post-graduate studies, named after a senior surgeon and teacher, Prof Fazal Illahi.

Claiming that the SIUT aimed at providing comprehensive and modern medical facilities in urology, nephrology and transplantation free of cost to all patients, Dr Rizvi referred to the comprehensive research programme being run at the institute. ‘‘SIUT is actively involved in teaching and training of doctors, nurses, technologists and technicians, some from other units in the public sector hospitals,” he said.

According to him the SIUT is also actively functioning as a base to provide specialised education and training facilities to concerned professionals belonging to different parts of the country as well as the region, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iran.

Following the closure of the national dialysis programme by the government, a large number of patients suffering from kidney related problems in the country are facing adverse impact of the decision.—APP/PPI