FG Set To Unveil Policy, Guidelines On Organ Transplants

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has revealed that the Federal Government is set to launch national policies and guidelines on organ transplants owing to several cases involving unethical practices in organ donation and transplantation.

Naija News reports that Pate made this known on Saturday during the Living Kidney Donor Day event organised by Nisa Medical Group in Abuja.

Pate, who was represented by the Head of the Trauma and Emergency Disaster Response Division, Department of Hospital Services, Kamil Shoretire, said 843.6 million persons around the globe were suffering from chronic kidney diseases as of 2017.

He stated that new national guidelines on organ transplants would soon be introduced while expressing concerns about the increasing cases of kidney problems and unethical practices in organ transplants in the country.

The minister also stressed that the FG is committed to the health initiative and commends the Nisa Medical Group for its initiative to prevent kidney-related health issues among the people.

He said, “The number of patients affected by chronic kidney disease has also been increasingly affecting an estimated 843.6 million individuals worldwide as of 2017.

“In Nigeria, the leading causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes and infection causing inflammation in the kidneys, glomerulonephritis which can be caused by several other agents.

“So we strongly associate with what we are doing today and pledge to support such initiatives moving forward.

“It’s time for renewal. It is also a time for optimism. It’s time for renewal. It’s also a time for optimism given that what we know has happened in the past and what is even going on around us now in the news on social media.”

Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nisa Medical Group, Ibrahim Wada, in collaboration with the Clarion Call Care Foundation, urged the FG to present the guidelines on the initiative while calling for all hands to be on deck.

Wada, who has been involved in the transplant field and working with living kidney donors for about ten years, stressed the importance of celebrating those who selflessly donate their organs without financial motivation.

He added, “Let those who do it understand that the world is watching us and we cannot be at the bottom of the ladder, we can be leaders in this.

“The Nigerian Kidney Transplantation Programme can be above board like any other. We need the Federal Government with the guidelines.

“Woe besides those who will not follow the guidelines and what is to be done because the government has the regulatory power and the power to act against those who err in doing those things.”