LAHORE, Feb 7: Senate chairman Muhammadmian Soomro has said a bill on human organs transplant has been cleared by the standing committee of the National Assembly and will soon be tabled in parliament for adoption.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of three-day International Urological Surgeons Conference organized by the Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons (PAUS) at a local hotel on Monday.

Mr Soomro said surgery and renal transplant was of great significance in Pakistan. He said in order to resolve health issues doctors should conduct advance-level research and acquire latest technologies to offer quality health service to masses.

It was a matter of grave concern that there were only 200 urologists for 150 million population in the country. There was a great need that doctors should go to rural areas to provide health facilities to those who could not even travel to urban areas, he added.

Mr Soomro announced that he would like to donate his organs, if they would be of help to anybody.

He stressed on promoting preventive aspect and said teachers and doctors could create awareness among masses. Even awareness about drinking boiled water could help prevent contracting many diseases. Prevention of diseases help save time and money of individuals as well as the state, he continued. He said the government would wait for the conference recommendations to devise policies.

Earlier, federal Health Minister Naseer Khan said the prevention of diseases was the most cost-effective strategy in the health sector. The federal government was cooperating with the Punjab government in this regard, he stated.

He said the government's objective was to provide quality health service and fruits of modern medicine at the doorsteps of rural people.

Mr Khan said renal transplantation was an ethical, moral and medical issue. The renal transplant could never be commercialized as it was "vulgarity and dis-service to the medical profession."

Referring to the huge imbalance in distribution of resources at international level, he said he had voiced the concern at world forums that 90 per cent funds for research were being given to 10 per cent countries, while remaining 10 per cent resources to 90 per cent countries. He expressed the hope that research funds would now flow towards Pakistan and India as well.

He said peace in the region would help shift huge funds to the social sectors. "Had there been no tension between Pakistan and India, people of both the countries would have been enjoying the highest living standard in the world."

Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed said the government had approved the feasibility to set up the Punjab Institute of Organ Transplant in Lahore.

He said the government had also set up the Multan Institute of Cardiology to cater to the needs of people of south Punjab. Outdoor service at MIC would begin in April, he added.

He said the government would also build a surgical tower having 16 operation theatres at the Mayo Hospital by next year.

Referring to doctors' service structure, he said a committee constituted by the chief minister was working on it.

Dr Javed announced that the Punjab government had approved 375 new paid slots for FCPS trainees in teaching hospitals in the province. It was also upgrading eight district hospitals to post FCPS final year trainees in collaboration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan.

PAUS president Prof Dr Fateh Khan Akhtar said surgery in most of the cases of renal and many other urological disorders could be avoided because of latest diagnostic facilities and non-invasive or less invasive therapeutic modalities. He, however, said most of the modern equipment were available in teaching hospitals only. Incidence of renal diseases contribute about 30 per cent of surgical workload in any hospital, he added.

He said the people suffering from end stage renal disease was on the rise. They needed renal replacement therapy in terms of dialysis and kidney transplant.

PAUS general secretary Prof Dr Sajjad Husain and Prof Dr Usman Khan also spoke on the occasion.

Urological surgeons from Pakistan and some 15 countries, including India, are participating in the conference.