The Health Department has decided in principle to establish a modern and unique Institute of Organs' Transplantation in the provincial capital. With the establishment of proposed institute, the facility of human transplantation i e kidney, lungs, heart, hair, liver and bone marrow transplantation will be available at Lahore. The decision was taken in the meeting of Core Group held to establish Punjab Institute of Organs Transplantation (PIOT) under the chairmanship of Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed.
Among others the meeting was attended by the Secretary Health Sohail Ahmed, Professor Dr Jawad Sajid Khan, Surgeon Dr Abdul Majeed Chaudhry, Dr Tasneem, Dr Nadeem, Dr Asad Aslam Khan, Professor Dr Sibt-ul-Hasnain, Professor Dr Sajjad Hussain.
The Health Minister said rich patients could get organs transplantation from developed countries, however, the poor and middle class people who could not afford the huge expenditures of transplantation remain without treatment and after failure of the main organs of the body they could not survive. He said the proposed institute would be established commonly for all types of people specifically for poor and middle class and transplant facility would be provided at subsidised/cheaper rates.
"We have well qualified and experienced surgeons and doctors at Lahore who could successfully operate the institute", he said. He added that the government would provide resources, however, cooperation of donors would also be sought for that purpose. The most important thing for success of such institutions was the motivation and education of the people for donation of their body organs like kidney, cornea, lungs and artificial and cultured skin etc, he maintained.
The Minister said the need of heart, lungs, and kidney transplantation was increasing day by day, therefore, the government has decided to establish PIOT; however, he pointed out that unpaid donations of human organs would be encouraged, as such operation could not be afforded by common people.