Bill that weakens organ trade withdrawn

Islamabad: A Bill that would have weakened Pakistan's organ trade law has been withdrawn by its movers in parliament, even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that the out-of-pocket health expenditure in Pakistan stands at 71 per cent and is a burden for the poor.

The Bill amending the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Ordinance 2007 was withdrawn by its movers at a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Health.

Committee chairman Nadeem Ahsan told the Dawn newspaper this was done after a presentation by the health ministry and the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation pointed to the adverse effects of the Bill that he and two others had moved.

The Bill had proposed five amendments, including permission for donation to foreigners, a practice that had earned Pakistan the sobriquet of being an "organ bazaar". The proposed amendment had sought a 10 per cent quota for donations to foreigners in medical emergencies.

"Do we intend to have an organ quota much like we had the textile quota, transferable and saleable among hospitals or sold at a higher price when there is more demand than supply?" the committee was asked during the presentation.

Other amendments related to donations to half-brothers and half-sisters, donation by non-blood relatives and non-relatives in emergencies and the manner in which a donor was to be compensated in case the recipient was not in a position to pay. In the 15 months since the law was promulgated in September 2007, about 800 transplants have been done.