The non-existent provision for the passage of brain death law as well as the cadaver organ donation bill is not only turning organ sale a thriving business, but also causing rapid surge in the expenditure incurred in dialysis.
Professor Syed Adib-ul-Hasan Rizvi, director, Sindh Institute of Urology of Transplantation (SIUT) talking to a select group of journalists, said the rapid growth in the number of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) owing to multiple factors makes necessary for a realistic approach beneficial to the patients.
The cadaver organ donation is prevalent across the Muslim world with the exception of Pakistan, he added.
He said in face of poor nutritional status of masses in general and women in particular, who are further devoid of basic amenities, including provision for potable water coupled with non-extent concept of health education - people are susceptible to be inflicted with wide range of diseases aggravating possibility of ESRD.
The SIUT director said diabetes, hypertension, and stone diseases were said to be the major factors particularly contributory to ESRD.
The rate of kidney diseases, including ESRD is on surge with no preventive strategy, he said, mentioning that on an average at SIUT only the recurring cost incurred on dialysis sessions in rising at a cost of Rs 45 million per year.
The patients coming from across the country as well as Afghanistan are referred to the facility where all treatment and medication is provided is actually provided to them absolutely free of cost.
The patients include people of all age, including children as young as two years besides, adult women and men from all strata of society as treatment is expensive and not affordable for long for even those with stable economic status.
Professor Rizvi said that SIUT, a symbol of government and community partnership, requires constant public support to meet the ever growing number of patients rising at a pace of around 13 percent annually, besides maintaining quality of services and provision for updated facilities as many of these are not available even in most of the private sector hospitals.
He said Rs 400 million are needed every year to meet the growing expenses at SIUT of this 30 percent is contributed by the government, stressing the need for maximum community assistance for the cause.
Professor Rizvi reminded that the institute was currently spending Rs 200 million only on the medicines provided to the patients absolutely tree of cost, saying ironically, the very amount is gradually increasing with the rise in the number of patients.
It may not be out of context to mention that annual expenditure incurred on medicines only, given free, to each transplant patient comes to some Rs 120,000.
He stressed the need for cutting edge medical technologies at all public sector hospitals as these happen to be the only outlets accessible to common man.
To a query, he said SIUT that has performed some 130 kidney transplants during last few years has a waiting list of hundreds of patients who could not be attended due to non-availability of cadaver organs - absence of law is the main hitch.
According to him, more than 338 dialysis sessions take place at SIUT daily - constituting 35 percent of all dialysis that take place across the country, while lithotripters work round the clock and 28 to 30 surgeries performed daily through the support of philanthropists.
The surgeon mentioned that non-existent cadaver organ donation law has also severely hampered the SIUT efforts to continue with its programme of liver transplantation on sustainable ground and strong basis. On the occasion, he also referred to ongoing research and training work at SIUT where doctors from countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and even Sudan were being trained.