Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The minister of state for health chaired a high level meeting of the Monitoring Authority of Human Organs Transplant Authority (HOTA) and discussed the steps to be taken to stop illegal transplant activities in Islamabad and in the whole country.

The main objective of HOTA is to control and stop illegal human organ trade, selling of human organs to foreigners from Pakistani citizens and to provide rules and regulations for removal, surgery & transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes.

The meeting was attended by members from the Ministry NHSR&C, Monitoring Authority & Focal Person HOTA. Various points were discussed to prevent and stop illegal human organ trade in the country.

The Monitoring Authority HOTA gave a detailed briefing to the minister of health and highlighted the shortage of solid organs in the country adding that due to unavailability of organs, people breached the law. In view of this the Monitoring Authority highly recommended that deceased donor programmes must be initiated to overcome this deficiency of human organs. Various proposals in this regard were made at the meeting including that the CNIC & driving licence must be a consent if the individual wanted to be a volunteer donor after his/her death.

The minister of health directed to strengthen the Authority and increase punishments for those who are directly or indirectly involved in human organ trade, furthermore to make the National Organ Sharing Network for immediate harvesting and allocation of organs.