IN a welcome demonstration of HOTA’s oversight role, kidney transplant services have been suspended at Islamabad’s Max Health Hospital. The healthcare facility was found non-compliant with rules mandating the formation of an evaluation committee for transplant cases. Such regulatory interventions are essential given our troubling history with organ trafficking, where unscrupulous elements have exploited the desperate poor while catering to wealthy patients seeking quick transplants. Requiring the formation of an inquiry committee to investigate irregularities shows the authorities are taking their mandate seriously.

However, much more needs to be done. Despite legislation in 2010 criminalising organ trade, the practice has seen periodic resurgence, with criminal networks adapting their operations. Recent cases show how vulnerable populations, especially bonded labourers and the indebted poor, continue to be targeted by organ trafficking rings. The exploitation chain typically involves middlemen, compromised medical facilities, and even officials willing to look the other way — all profiting from human desperation. Action is needed on multiple fronts. To begin with, evaluation committees at hospitals must exercise stringent oversight of transplant cases to prevent commercial exploitation. Alongside, law enforcement needs to proactively investigate and prosecute organ trafficking networks rather than waiting for complaints. Moreover, the healthcare system must be strengthened to provide affordable dialysis and transplant services to reduce desperate measures by patients. Most critically, Pakistan needs to develop a robust organ donation culture. Religious scholars have already clarified that organ donation is permissible to save lives. Public awareness campaigns highlighting how a single deceased donor can save multiple lives could help overcome cultural barriers. The successful cornea donation programme with Sri Lanka shows such initiatives are possible. Ultimately, ending organ trafficking needs addressing the crushing poverty that forces people to sell body parts. Until then, constant vigilance and deterrent action remain crucial.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2024