ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday issued notices to the administration of Sheikh Zayed Hospital (SZH) Lahore and Human Organ Transplant Authority (Hota) on a petition against the violation of Hota Act.

The petitioner referred a recent case of liver transplantation that was done at SZH. The petitioner, however, did not name the recipient of the liver as respondent in the petition. IHC Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan took up the matter and sought reply from both the respondents besides the cabinet division within a fortnight.

According to Advocate Syed Liaquat Binori, the petition was a 'public interest litigation' in which his petitioner had challenged transplantation of liver to an influential person; the liver was taken from the body of a 15-year-old boy who expired in a traffic accident.

The transplantation at SZH, according to the petitioner, was done in violation of Hota Act 2010. He said under the act a hospital can transplant a human organ after getting clearance from an 'evaluation committee' but in this case the clearance was not sought from the said committee.

The petitioner also contended that no human organ could be used for transplantation in case the donor was less than 18 years of age. The petitioner told the court that in September this year an injured child Arsalan was brought to the SZH. The child had sustained severe injuries in a traffic accident. Unfortunately the child could not survive and died. The hospital administration after seeking consent of his parents took out his liver and transplanted it to Amir Raza, a 42-year old person.

The petitioner said as per Hota Act, a donor of human organ must be more than 18 years of age. For organ transplant there is another condition that the donor must have had consented a will in his life where he/she may have expressed his willingness to donate the organs.

The will should also be registered with the Hota, the petitioner said. In this particular case the donor was less than 18 years and he did not qualify to consent the will. The petitioner has expressed his apprehension that the way this transplantation was done, poor people could be easily exploited against the money. He requested the court to order an inquiry into this matter.