Prof Rizvi decries violation of anti-organ trade law

KARACHI, Mar 21, 2008 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- NO MATCHES FOUND. | news | PowerRating | PR Charts -- Director Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) Prof Adibul Hassan Rizvi has said that despite promulgation of ordinance against organ trade, many illegal kidney transplantation operations are carried out in some cities of Punjab.

He claimed that ordinance was being violated by some of the doctors in Punjab, including Lahore and Rawalpindi. He said that Pakistan was being defamed across the world for illegal business of organs especially kidneys. He said Pakistan is the cheapest kidney bazaar as a kidney could be bought here in just 700 US dollars.

This he said while addressing a joint press conference at Agha Hassan Abidi Auditorium at SIUT here on Thursday. He was accompanied by Dr Iffat Yazdani Central General Secretary Pakistan Society of Nephrology (PSN), Ghazi Salahuddin of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Sajjad Hussain of Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons (PAUS).

Dr Rizvi also briefed about the some of the doctors and other stakeholders, who he said were involved in the illegal trade. He said due to growing poverty in Pakistan, citizens were compelled to sell their kidneys. He cited the example of a resident of Faisalabad whos all adult family members had sold their vital organs and now their children of teenager were ready to sell their kidneys. He said though Pakistan has got independence but its people are still slaves.

Director SIUT said that President of Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation, Dr Mustafa Al-Mousavi from Kuwait has written a letter to him, informing about illegal organs trade. He said Dr Al-Mousavi saw a patients in Kuwait who had got transplanted his kidney from a private hospital in Lahore. He said Dr Al-Mousvi told him that two other patients belonging to Kuwait are awaiting for illegal kidney transplantation in Pakistan.

He added this situation is very shameful for Pakistan, as it is the cheapest market of organ trade. He demanded of the government to take stern action against the violation and Ordinance 2007 and arrest the doctors and other culprits who were found to be involved in organ trade.

He also stressed the upcoming government to convert this ordinance into a law and make a comprehensive monitoring systems and constitute the new monitoring committee, as some of members of present monitoring committee were allegedly involved in what he called organ trade. Dr Adibul Hassan Rivzi asked the media to create awareness amongst the people against the sell of kidneys and other organs.

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