Experts want ‘proper bill’ to check sale of human organs | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Experts want ‘proper bill’ to check sale of human organs

ISLAMABAD: Eminent urologists representing the Transplantation Society of Pakistan and the Association of Urological Surgeons have expressed apprehensions over the possibility of a ‘proper bill’ being introduced to curb, if not totally eliminate, the sale of human organs in Pakistan — a country where human organ trade is not covered by legislation and extreme poverty forces many people to sell their organs.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Wednesday, Dr. Adeeb Rizvi, Dr. Farhat Ahmed and Dr. Sajjad told the media that they had prepared a critique of the Transplantation of Human Organs Bill for the Ministry of Health and are now keenly following developments to ascertain whether their recommendations are being incorporated into the bill. They claimed to have attended a meeting in the Ministry of Health a day earlier, and were assured that 90 percent of their suggestions are being taken into consideration in the amended bill.

The urologists expressed concern that the existing bill still contains a clause pertaining to compensation. They demanded that the bill should impose a complete ban on sale of human organs and should also guarantee the health security of donors.

The Transplantation of Human Organs Bill 1992, which was presented in the Parliament and approved by a Senate Standing Committee with several amendments in 1994, is pending with the Parliament for the last 15 years.
Source: The News
Date:8/9/2007