Step against ‘transplant tourism

Dawn.com

THE central leadership of Pakistan Medical Association has congratulated Dr Adeeb Rizvi on getting his wonderful contribution to society acknowledged by an authority no less than the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

While hearing a joint petition seeking a court order for devising rules and protocol to prevent violation of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissue Act, 2010, the Bench lauded Dr Adeeb Rizvi’s services to the humanity, with the Chief Justice observing, “We are thankful to you”.

The PMA, which has always held Dr Adeeb Rizvi in high esteem and presented him as a role model for all medical practitioners in the country, wishes to take this opportunity to once again acknowledge Dr Rizvi’s pioneering effort in nephrology.

Pakistan Medical Association has always taken pride in standing behind Dr Adeeb Rizvi’s untiring struggle against unethical practices in the country. The PMA itself has been a major stakeholder in such efforts and has called repeatedly for promoting cadaver organ donation in the country, which would save precious lives and discourage the nefarious activities like ‘organ trading’ and ‘kidney tourism’.

Currently, Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world that is counted as ‘a kidney bazaar’. Rough estimates show that the annual turnover of the kidney business here, centered in the country’s two most politically powerful cities — Rawalpindi and Lahore — is close to a billion rupees. The lobby indulging in commercial dealings had been opposing enforcement of the law, but after realizing that it could no more be successful in stopping it, went all out to extract maximum concessions through the courtesy of their patrons sitting in the echelons of power.

The SIUT, led by Dr Adeeb Rizvi, is the only public-sector tertiary care centre where liver-related kidney transplantation is carried out free of cost. The PMA hopes that the praise coming from the Apex Court will also get converted into concrete action, and the court will consider and set things right in this key area.

Dr Mirza Ali Azhar
Central Secretary-General
Pakistan Medical Association
Story source: http://dawn.com/2012/04/29/step-against-transplant-tourism/