IT has been more than 10 years since the passage of the ethical transplantation law in the country, yet the cause has gained little traction with the public. The practise of organ donation is for some reason frowned upon by Pakistani society even though other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran understand that organ transplantation can save lives and they allow it. In the case of cadaver donations, even if the deceased had in their lifetime wanted their organs to be donated posthumously, their families are often unwilling to fulfil this wish. The public resistance to the idea is odd, considering that religious leaders from all sects sanctioned the organ transplantation law when it was passed in 2010.

This situation is unfortunate, considering that a person dies of organ failure every few minutes in the country. Data suggests that more than 150,000 people die every year due to end-stage organ failure. Among these patients, 40,000 pass away from kidney failure, 70,000 from liver failure and 15,000 from heart failure. A large number of these lives could possibly be saved if more people were willing to donate their organs after death. So far, a little over 10,000 individuals have registered with the Transplant Society of Pakistan, which is a drop in the ocean in a country of 225m people. It is this absence of voluntary donation that propels the illegal human organ trade in the country. In fact, until some few years ago, the country was notorious for being a hub of ‘transplant tourism’. Last year in September, the FIA caught members of an organ trafficking gang that had transported at least 30 people to China for illegal transplants. The authorities should take religious scholars and opinion leaders on board to launch an information campaign that aims at reducing people’s hesitancy. Moreover, politicians should lead by example by declaring their organs can be used after their death and indicating as much on their identity documents. With consistent advocacy, the public will eventually see the benefits of organ donation.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2021