Dilemma of organ donation persists despite strict rulesSaturday 8 November 2008
Fatima Sidiya | Arab News
JEDDAH: Following news of two young women who announced they were prepared to sell their kidneys to help their mother pay back her loans, Arab News received a call from a man who said he is willing to sell not only his kidneys but all of his organs to raise money to pay off his debts.
Local newspapers also reported the case of a footballer who, unable to financially assist his family, decided to sell his kidney.
Sheikh Abid Al-Sufiani, a Shourah Council member, said it seems people make such claims to attract media attention. He added, “It is not allowed in Islam to sell organs,” something that is against the principles of human dignity, which is stressed by Islam.
Organ donation is permitted according to the majority of Islamic scholars as long as it is not done for financial reasons and does not affect the donor’s health. In 1982, the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta issued a ruling that organ donation is permissible in Islam, regardless of whether the donor is alive or dead.
In June 2007, the Minister of Health and president of the Medical Services Council signed a ministerial decision allowing organ donations from people who are unrelated to patients. To encourage members of the public to donate organs, donors are also offered an incentive of SR50,000.
Specialists in the field, however, stress that despite a shortage in donors there are restrictions preventing commercialism in the way kidneys are donated.
Dr. Nawal Basri, a consultant responsible for kidney-transplantation at the King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah and a member of the National Kidney Transplantation Committee, said that many people became interested in donating their kidneys after the Ministry of Health announced its SR50,000 incentive.
“They would, however, disappear when they learned about the type of procedures that take place,” he added. Regulations include a requirement that donors have to be of the same nationality as patients and above 18. Prospective donors are interviewed by a committee consisting of specialists who also review cases to ensure donors are not spurred by monetary gain or forced. Officials from transplantation centers are not allowed into the evaluation committee to ensure complete accuracy.
Expatriates who want to donate have to be living legally in the Kingdom for at least one year. Prior to application, the health condition of donors is carefully examined. A file is then sent to the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, which approves applications.
Medical teams at different transplantation centers in the Kingdom are required to compile full medical reports about cases and explain details to donors. “We assure them that if we find any abnormalities in a donor then we will not approve them for donation even if they insist,” said Basri.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=113976&d=8&m=11&y=2008
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