Call for ban on illicit sale of human organs

World Health Organisation (WHO) Clinical Procedures Co-ordinator Dr Luc Noel on Saturday stressed the need for completely eradicating the menace of illicit sales of human organs, which is done through human trafficking.
He was addressing the conference on the subject of 'WHO Emro Conference on Cell Tissue and Organ Transplantation', organised by the WHO, and hosted by the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT).
"We (WHO) are ready to help the Pakistan government, if required, for the annihilation of human trafficking," he assured.
Dr Luc Noel said to give a new life to the patients there is a dire need for different human organs and the people should donate their organs specially, kidneys and eyes to the needy people before death.
"Most of the organs work properly for a certain period after the death of a person and the people should come forward and make a will to donate his/her organs when he/she passes away", said Dr Noel, adding that all the religions support this idea and talk about to live for others and opposes selfishness.
"Some of the greatest personalities of this world lost lives due to non-availability of the organs like actress Meena Kumari, who died of liver failure and W.A. Mozart, renowned musician, who lost his live due to heart failure," he added and maintained that the lives of famous actor George Harrison and the legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan could have saved if a lung and a heart respectively provided to them.
He stressed religious scholars and leaders to make people aware of the issue of organ transplantation and termed Ulemas' role 'significant' in this regard.
He said the non-availability of organs, awareness on ethical and safety risks in transplanting allogenic cells, tissues and organs besides the risk associated with xenogenic transplantation in transmission of infectious agents from animals to human beings.
The meeting was planned to take place just before the 9th conference of the Asian Society of Transplantation so as to provide it with the due prominence necessary to disseminate the information on all aspects of organ transplantation. The event would also help in motivating the authorities to launch the law on cadaver organ donation in Pakistan. On the occasion, SIUT Director Dr Adib Rizvi, Dr Nabila Metwali, Dr Khursheed Anwar, Dr Bhatai, Dr AGN Kazi, and Dr Jain of WHO also spoke.