Islamabad, Nov 8 — Despite Pakistan having the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act in place since 2010, which provides for prison sentences of up to 10 years for violations, illegal organ-trafficking networks continue to exploit loopholes in healthcare supply chains, medical laboratories and regulatory institutions, according to a report.
The illicit organ trade in Pakistan has reportedly evolved into a lucrative underground business, with investigators alleging that human organs are at the centre of transactions involving financially distressed donors, recipients willing to pay large sums, intermediaries and medical facilitators, the report by Daily Mirror said.
The illegal networks allegedly take advantage of vulnerable individuals while generating substantial profits for those organising the procedures, it said.
"Behind the business lies a brutal imbalance: people struggling financially may accept a fraction of the money paid for a transplant. At the same time, those arranging the operation allegedly collect the larger profits," the report stated.
A recent investigation conducted by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Human Organ Transplantation Authority (HOTA) in Islamabad has reportedly brought to light the functioning of one such suspected network.
According to the report, the operation allegedly relied on residential properties, forged medical referrals, and access to hospital-based diagnostic facilities to facilitate illegal kidney transplants.
Citing an FIA investigation reported by Dawn on October 23, the report said that the latest suspected network had allegedly arranged a kidney transplant for a recipient who paid approximately $10,870, equivalent to PKR 3 million.
The report mentioned that the agents involved in the transaction reportedly offered the donor $1,450 (PKR 400,000). Of this amount, $1,232 (PKR 340,000) was allegedly meant for the person donating the kidney, while the remaining $218 (PKR 60,000) was to be distributed among three intermediaries as commission. The alleged distribution of money highlights the financial disparity that investigators believe formed the basis of the illegal operation.
According to the report, while the recipient was allegedly required to pay millions of rupees to obtain the organ, the individual providing the kidney was promised only a comparatively small amount. The intermediaries, meanwhile, allegedly handled the arrangements involving the donor, medical examinations, and other requirements necessary to carry out the transplant.
Investigators reportedly found that the procedure was conducted at a residential property in Islamabad's PWD Society, raising further concerns about the use of unauthorised premises to carry out medical procedures that are legally required to take place under regulated conditions.
The latest investigation has once again exposed the alleged functioning of an organised network in which a recipient was charged $10,870 (PKR 3 million) for a transplant, while the donor was promised around $1,449 (PKR 400,000). Intermediaries were accused of facilitating the transaction through forged documentation and arrangements at premises that were not authorised for such procedures, the report stated.
More than a decade after Pakistan introduced legislation to regulate organ transplantation and prevent trafficking, investigations into illegal kidney transplant operations continue to emerge, highlighting persistent challenges in enforcing the law, according to the Daily Mirror report.
The report also warned that the consequences of such illegal activities extend beyond financial exploitation, putting both donors and recipients at considerable risk.
"The resulting harm can fall on vulnerable donors, recipients exposed to unsafe procedures and a healthcare system whose regulatory controls are meant to prevent precisely this kind of exploitation. When human organs become commodities in an underground market, poverty becomes an opportunity for profiteers," it further stated.
Pakistan's continuing struggle to curb illegal organ-trafficking networks highlights the gap between having legislation in place and ensuring its effective implementation, the report noted.