In connection with “Approval of Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Bill a joint press conference was held recently at Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT).
Prof. Adib Rizvi said that the Senate of Pakistan (Upper House of Parliament) unanimously adopted the Bill on Transplantation of Human Organ and Tissues, after a struggle spanning over twenty years.
By implementing this legislation, the exploitation of the poor vendors who were attracted to sell their organs for a meager sum, with the large amount going to the middle men and other concerned people, will be legally stopped. The country will be spared of the label of being called an “organ bazaar”.
The Bill, now a law will regulate the removal, storage and transplantation of human organs and tissues. It will lead to an era of Deceased (Cadaver) Organ Donation where any adult can donate the organs for transplantation in case of brain death. Pakistan now stands in line with many other countries especially ten Islamic countries where the programme of deceased organ donation has been implemented. This benefits the patients of end stage organ failure of kidney, liver, heart, lungs and pancreas.
For this achievement, the credit goes to the members of the parliament, both upper and lower houses, who gave the cause of saving a human life the due importance. This historic decision of making the law on Human organ transplantation has created history in the country’s legislation and field of transplant surgery. It has been a joint struggle by the Transplantation Society of Pakistan (TSP), asking help and supported by Pakistan Society of Nephrology (PSN) and Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons (PAUS) to get the law framed.
It is also an opportunity to thank the Standing Committee on Health in the National Assembly which has played an important role in getting the Bill through the parliament. All the political parties deserve thanks for this bipartisan approach forgetting their differences in saving human lives. Equal support was provided by the Ministry of Health.
The country’s media, both print and electronic have helped tremendously in creating awareness about organ transplantation.
The support by every member of the society is also acknowledged as without that success could not be had in a democratic country.
We must not forget encouragement and advice provided by the World Health Organization and International Transplantation Society in acquiring strong ethical transplantation.