Govt. mulls updating laws to deter illegal organ transplants

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

In an attempt to crack down on the illegal organ transplant racket and to discourage Indian nationals from using Sri Lanka for unlawful surgeries the Government plans to amend the Transplantation of Human Tissues Act No. 48 of 1987.

Deputy Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Faizal Cassim, highlighted the limitations of the current legal system and the inadequate provisions in the Transplantation of Human Tissues Act No. 48 of 1987 that allows loopholes.

Denying any action taken by previous Governments to appoint committees to investigate the illegal organ transplant racket the Deputy Minister said: “In 2012 & 2013 no committee was appointed. However, there are ongoing investigations so we are unable to submit the recent committee report in Parliament. The Transplantation of Human Tissues Act No. 48 of 1987 should be strengthened to prevent illegal activities. On the other hand, these are matters that need to be handled diplomatically where India has a role to play. We are unable to find if there are any financial transactions involved especially when the receiver and the donor are both from India. Currently the private hospital board provides the approval to conduct these transplants in their theatres.”

 Chief Opposition Whip Anura Dissanayaka who charged the Deputy Minister for misleading the House with false information warned the Government of possibilities of kidnapping people for illegal organ harvesting. “Deputy Minister presented false information in his response. There is enough evidence on the appointing committees in 2012 and 2013. The reports of these committees should be presented in Parliament. This is no longer an issue limited to the Health Minister. The Government should take action on a national basis,” charged MP Dissanayaka.

 Drawing lawmakers’ attention to the growing threat of illegal organ harvesting taking place in India he said: “Indian police discovered details of illegal kidney transplant racket. The respective surgeries were conducted in Sri Lanka by a few local surgeons. The Media reported the involvement of four private hospitals and the six doctors. The Minister appointed a tri-party committee to investigate the matter followed by a five-member committee, which presented its report to the Minister on 5 February. The Indian Government has tightened regulations. Based on these circumstances the Indian racketeers have started using Sri Lanka to conduct their illegal activities, according to media reports. Illegal organ transplant was a serious issue surfacing in 2012 and 2013. The then Health Minister also appointed a committee and we are uninformed as to the fate of the committee report.”

 According to MP Dissanayaka some Sri Lankans have also started selling their body parts to overcome financial issues. “It is alarming to hear such organ sales are now happening in the estate sector in Sri Lanka. A Tamil politician has highlighted this issue. We are not amazed to see people selling their body organs to live. We are unable to predict the next stage of this illegal activity that could escalate to kidnapping people to harvest organs. We trust the House should know the true story of this illegal kidney transplant racket, which tarnishes the country’s image,” added MP Dissanayaka.