Selling organs

A report on the front page of the January 2 edition of this newspaper tells the shocking story of a man in Lahore who sold his kidney for a price of Rs100,000, which would eventually be sold by a middleman to the kidney recipient at a cost many times that amount. His story illustrates all too clearly that, while Pakistan may have laws regulating organ trade, the government has not been entirely successful in enforcing them. In 2007, after there was considerable outrage over the black market trade in human organs, the Supreme Court directed the government to take action. What resulted was the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Bill, which banned organ donations by those who were below the age of 18, or unrelated to the recipient. Each donation had to be approved by a committee of medical experts, who would also judge if the donor had been coerced into the transplant. The bill set a maximum punishment for all those involved in the trade, including both, the recipient and the donor, as well as any middlemen and medical staff involved.

The problem, however, is not the law but its lack of implementation. Pakistan has become a popular destination for organ tourists — foreigners also come to the country for organ transplants. They might be charged as much as a couple of million rupees for the transplant, which is far cheaper than what they would have to pay in other countries, while those who donate their organs get a relative pittance. Part of the problem is that Pakistan does not have a culture of deceased organ donors, inflating the demand for live donors. President Asif Zardari tried to change that through a public relations campaign in which he vowed to donate his own organs after his death. Along with continuing to encourage people to sign up to donate their organs after their death, the government needs to enforce the law. Any hospitals found to be involved in the illegal organ business should have their licenses revoked and stiffer penalties should be given to middlemen and recipients than those mired in poverty who see no solution to their woes other than making some quick cash by selling their organs.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2012.