Illegal organ transplant racket busted

PHOTA team arrests 10 suspects, recovers Rs20 million during raid on hospital involved in illegal organ transplants

RAWALPINDI:

 The Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority (PHOTA) and Rawalpindi police raided a private hospital involved in illegal organ transplants of patients and arrested 10 people including three doctors.

The arrested suspects were identified as Dr Zahid, Dr Athar and Dr Abid Latif, Israr Hussain, Arshad Mehmood, Shahzad, Shahnawaz, Muhammad Imran, Asim and Anas-ur-Rehman.

According to a police spokesperson, a 65-year-old man, Iftikhar, died while being operated upon in the illegal transplant hospital while one person was shifted to a hospital in critical condition.

The police spokesman said that Dr Zahid was arrested in the past for his involvement in illegal organ transplantation and kidney sale.

Police also seized Rs20 million in cash from the private hospital and rounded up 15 patients, including a foreigner.

PHOTA Assistant Director (technical) Faraz Ahmed said that the private hospital was raided on a tip-off that illegal transplants were being carried out there.

He said that 15 patients were recovered from the hospital and of them, two were in critical condition.

He said that all the patients have been taken into custody and transferred to government hospitals.

The body of the patient who died in the hospital was transferred to the district headquarters hospital for a post-mortem.

Ahmed said that the initial investigation revealed that two raids had also been carried out on the hospital previously.

He said that after each raid, the owner changes the name of the hospital and starts new illegal operations.

He said that the hospital will be sealed and a case will be registered at the Morgah police station.

He said that among the 15 patients who recovered from the hospital, one patient was a foreigner who has been transferred to a private hospital at his request.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the laws were being blatantly violated during kidney transplants at the private hospital.

Huge sums were being charged to the kidney recipients.

Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Transplantation CEO Dr Zain and other experts were called on the spot to check the patients in the hospital, who recommended transferring two critical patients to the RIUT.

Dr Zain, a urologist, said that the 65-year-old patient had died during the transplantation.

He said that there were 10 patients in the hospital whose kidneys were yet to be transplanted, while five patients had shown up to donate kidneys.

He said that a final decision to seal the hospital will be taken by the PHOTA.

Earlier, Rawalpindi police arrested three suspected traffickers including two nurses from the Jand area.

The Rawat police arrested a man and two nurses who were allegedly involved in the illegal organ trade and transplantation of kidneys.

Police had recovered surgical equipment and a vehicle during a raid on two houses in a private housing society located in the vicinity of Rawat.

The two houses in the housing society were being used for the illegal organ trade.

Police said that the houses had been by rented the accused for carrying out the illegal organ trade.

Police earlier said that the suspected two women had escaped the location leaving behind surgical equipment and other belongings including a vehicle after the police arrested one of their accomplices.

Police said that raids were underway for the arrest of the doctor, identified as Imran, who is said to be the ringleader of illegal kidney transplantation.

The doctor is said to have fled to Lahore after the police arrested his accomplices.

Pakistan has long been an international hub for the illegal kidney trade, but authorities have been unable to act against the practice due to ineffective enforcement policies and a lack of political will to crack down.

In Pakistan, organ donation is legal so long as it is voluntary, given without duress or the exchange of money.

The limited supply sees the wealthy routinely exploit thousands of poor with the help of an organ trade mafia.

Kidneys can be bought so cheaply that overseas buyers are also tapped in, largely from the Gulf, Africa and the United Kingdom.

In many countries, such trafficking is confined to the shadows, but in Pakistan, it is brazen.