Poverty fuelling organ trade in Pakistan: AKU study

[okarol]

Poverty fuelling organ trade in Pakistan: AKU study
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
By our correspondent

Karachi

Pakistan is fast becoming a "haven" for the exploitative trade of human organs, according to a recent survey conducted by medical students at the Aga Khan University (AKU). The research revealed that poverty and lack of awareness are believed to be aiding the illegal organ trade.

According to an AKU statement issued on Tuesday, as part of a training rotation at the university's Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS), medical students conducted a cross-sectional survey in several areas of Karachi to collect information about knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning organ donation and trade.

The major reasons for practicing organ trade stem from poverty as well as a general lack of awareness about ethical, legal and human rights implications of organ trade, the report states. The most important outcomes of the survey suggest that there is some awareness about organ donation (77.7per cent) and organ trade (65 per cent). However, only a few people (23 per cent) were aware that organ donations could be taken from the living as well as the deceased.

About 50 per cent said that organ trade included the selling, buying and "stealing" of organs as well as exploitation of the needy through deception and coercion and 38 per cent were aware of local or international legislation regarding organ trade. Of this segment, only 6.7 per cent considered legislation as highly effective in achieving the desired effect on illegal organ trade. About 63 per cent supported the idea of organ donation, especially for the family. Some of the important factors for consideration were religious background of recipients and guarantee that organs will be treated with respect. Others cited religious beliefs as a cause for not donating organs. One person had donated a kidney, while about 3.5 per cent of the respondents had donated blood.

The study termed the promulgation of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Bill in 2007 as an encouraging development, which attempted to regulate organ transplantation practices in Pakistan. Organ donation and trade are also actively debated bio-ethical issues in Pakistan, and researchers hoped that continued media coverage would help engage a wider audience on these issues, making them more receptive towards dialogue on the subject. However, better implementation of the bill is crucial to curb illegal organ trade.

The survey was conducted by Taimur Saleem, Sidra Ishaque, Nida Habib, Syedda Sadia Hussain, Areeba Javed, Amir Ali Khan, Muhammad Imran Khan, Mian Omer Iftikhar and Hamza Pervez Mughal. The project was facilitated by Dr Imtiaz Jehan, Assistant Professor Department of the CHS at AKU. The survey consisted of 408 adults, with 64 per cent men and 36 per cent women. Half of the respondents were either at graduate or post-graduate level, while only two per cent were illiterate.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158219