Kidney donors' offer rejected

[okarol]

Kidney donors' offer rejected

By Mandeep Singh
Gulf Daily News
8th May 2007

A GROUP of prisoners suffered another blow when the Health Ministry said it could not accept their offer to donate a kidney each if it helped secure their release. Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) consultant thoraco-vascular and renal transplant surgeon Dr Sadiq Abdulla said the law in Bahrain does not allow such a deal.

"It is surely an act of desperation by the prisoners, but this cannot be allowed," he told the GDN.

"Even if it was allowed under exceptional circumstances, it would open a Pandora's Box.

"That would be difficult, if not impossible, to manage."

Dr Abdulla, the only Bahraini who has been regularly conducting such transplants in the country, said China had conducted such an experiment some years ago and had tremendous logistical problems in dealing with it.

"They are now trying to come down with a heavy hand on such activities because it has apparently led to a trade in human organs," he said.

Dr Abdulla said though Bahrain was contemplating a law to legalise kidney donations from non-related living donors, such a law could take time.

He said that even if the law was in place, it would be extremely difficult to accept the prisoners' offer.

"In India and Iran, for example, there used to be a thriving trade in organs until the governments cracked down and passed stringent laws," said Dr Abdulla.

"The trade is now all but over in those countries.

"Prisoners' offer to sell their kidneys to buy freedom is exactly that."

He said there has to be a "humane solution" to the prisoners' issue.

"We understand they are not criminals and most of them may be in jail for seemingly soft crimes, but we have to draw a line somewhere," said Dr Abdulla.

The GDN had reported last month that a group of six prisoners at the Hidd Detention Centre, who have been languishing there for almost two years, offered one of their kidneys or an eye if it helps secure their release.

They are waiting to be sent home, but are unable to leave because they have outstanding debts and civil cases against them.

All owe thousands of dinars and one prisoner is understood to be BD13,000 in debt.

Officials from the Indian and Pakistani embassies and Migrant Workers' Protection Society (MWPS) have been trying to get them released and negotiations are still on.

The prisoners, who have been in touch with the GDN, said they were becoming so frustrated about their continued detention that they would go through with the procedure if it meant winning their freedom.

 

[goofynina]

Hmmm, we may have something here, i think upon release all convicts should be forced to give up a kidney (as long as they are healthy that is) sheeit, with my luck, the convict giving me an organ would probably be the one trying to smuggle black tar heroine OUT of prison, find out who i am, find out my address, follow me home, and cut it out and take his kidney back   NO THANK YOU!!!