'Govt approval for organ transplantation mandatory'

Staff Correspondent, from Parliament: The Jatiya Sangsad (JS) on Tuesday passed the "Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Bill, 2018" keeping a provision of mandatory government approval for organ transplantation.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim placed the bill before the House for passing it with an aim to improve health services using latest technology.

The bill was passed by voice votes with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

While placing the bill, Nasim said the law is aimed at improving the country's health care services keeping consistency with advancement of medical science.

Nasim said the bill has a provision of three years of rigorous imprisonment or Taka 10 lakh fine or both for violation of the law, aiming to check the illegal trade of human organs.

Moreover, hospitals are not allowed to conduct human organ transplantation in the country without government's approval while the public hospitals having specialised units in this regard can do the job without taking prior approval.

On the other hand, private hospitals will have to apply to the authorities concerned to do the job within 60 days of enactment of the law.

The law also defines close relationship as the relatives like parents, children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives as well as blood-related grandparents, grandchildren, cousins, maternal and paternal uncles, and aunts.

According to the proposed law, any organ transplantable to the human body, including kidney, liver, bone, eye, heart, lung and tissue, could be transplanted after their collection from human bodies having heartbeats or in active with life support for transplantation purpose.

Also, any doctor convicted under the law will lose his or her registration with Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council.

The law mentions that there will be a medical board in every hospital for deciding the transplantation matter and a National Cadaveric Committee to oversee the human organs transplantation in the country.


risingbd/Dhaka/Jan 9, 2018/Asad/AI