Structured discourse: Deliberation continues on organ transplant bill

Effective measures imperative to curb exploitation of poor, says Senate Committee on NHSRC

ISLAMABAD: Senators on Thursday urged the government to take steps to control the sale of human organs as well as to curb exploitation of the poor.

This demand was raised by the Senators during a meeting of the sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) on Thursday.

The body discussed the Human Organs and Tissues Amendment Bill 2016, which had been introduced by Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati earlier in December 2016.

The committee convener Senator Ashok Kumar disagreed with the proposal and asked to seek the opinion of religious scholars on the issue.

Kumar also called for starting a public awareness campaign about donating human organs.

Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA) Managing Director Saeed Akhtar also asked for the religious scholars to be contacted to ascertain their view on the matter, however, the body rejected the proposal.

Moreover, Kumar announced that he would donate his organs after which Muttahida Qaumi Movement Senator Attique Sheikh also expressed his willingness in this regard.

Akhtar also demanded that the transplant authority in the provinces be abolished while transplant centres should be set up under the control of the authority.

Kumar said that a proposal is under consideration on the willingness of citizens to donate organs in CNICs and driving licenses.

The additional secretary of the National Health Services told the committee that as many as five draft proposals on regulating organ transplants are under consideration in the upper and lower houses of Parliament at the moment. Of these four are in the National Assembly while the fifth, the one proposed by Swati, is in Senate.

He added that during a meeting of the monitoring authority of the health ministry, chaired by minister Saira Afzal Tarar, it had been decided to club all the bills together, analyse them in detail, and then draft one comprehensive bill.

Around 90 per cent draft of the bill, the official said, had been completed.

The health ministry official said that during a NA committee on health, it had been decided that all of these different bills would be clubbed, hence Swati should withdraw his bill. However, Swati retorted that his only intention was to serve the public.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2017.