Conference at SIUT mulls ways to promote organ donation after death

Existing laws regarding organ transplantation sufficient, says Munir Malik

A conference at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) discussed ways to spread awareness about organ donation after death and help resolve the issue of illegal transplant of organs.

The two-day conference, which also includes several workshops, has been organised by the Law and Justice Commission of the Supreme Court (SC) in collaboration with SIUT.

Representatives belonging to various fields, including medicine, media, human rights and law, attended the opening session of the conference on Friday. All the stakeholders agreed to work out a strategy that could save thousands of patients whose lives were at risk due to organ failure.

In his inaugural address, SIUT head Prof Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi gave an account of the history of transplant procedures in Pakistan. He also pointed out the impediments to the promotion of deceased organ donation. Praising the SC for taking suo motu notice, the SIUT head said it was heartening that all the stakeholders were on the same page.

"Lip service will serve no purpose," Dr Rizvi said, reminding the government officials, media persons, doctors and members of civil society that it was their duty to support the SIUT's organ donation programme.



Hameed Haroon lauded the efforts of SIUT in harnessing the transplantation programme. "The battle is still going on," he added.

Journalist Naziha Ali informed the conference about her experiences in unearthing the illicit organ trade in Pakistan. She cited poverty as the root cause of illegal organ transplants in the country. There is no need to change the law to curb illegal transplant, said lawyer Munir Malik, adding that the existing laws fulfilled the needs of the hour.

Others who spoke at the session included Maulana Shahtaz, a religious scholar who said that all schools of religious interpretations in Islam agree that saving a human life is most sacred, and Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi.

Another highlight of the day-long proceedings was poetry recited by Zehra Nigah whose verses called for encouraging organ donation after death. Various workshops were also conducted to formulate recommendations on a variety of related themes, including educating the public, using media and implementing the law.