The coordinating Minister of Health and Social Development, Prof. Ali Pate, assures decisive action to combat criminal activities in health practices.
Responding to the Daily Trust newspaper’s investigation titled “Inside Abuja’s Kidney ‘Market’,” Pate on its X page condemned the depravity and criminality revealed in the report.
Acknowledging the pain of victims, Pate cites the National Health Act (NHA) 2014 Sections 51-56, which prohibit such illegality, emphasising the need for stringent enforcement.
The minister, highlighted the government’s commitment to improving regulations, as evidenced by the recent inauguration of the Tertiary Hospitals Care Standards Committee.
Meanwhile, in a statement, made available to Science Nigeria, Chief Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon of Alliance Hospital, Dr. Christopher Otabor, refuted allegations against his facility, emphasising adherence to legal requirements for kidney transplants.
According to him, Alliance Hospital in response to the huge burden of kidney failure in the country and the need to develop a world class kidney transplant centre to prolong the lives of kidney failure patients decided to establish a kidney transplant unit in 2017.
Otabor said that the program has been running successfully till date with a huge success story in its trail.
He said that as a rule, kidney recipients’ source for their donors and present them to the hospital for screening for compatibility and fitness for donation.
“After the screening, we proceed to ensure they meet the legal requirements which include: Donor must be 18 years or above.
“Donor must sign consent in the presence of two adult witnesses. Donor is expected to swear an affidavit stating his age and affirming that the decision to donate is by free will and there is no compulsion or financial inducement.
“The relationship of the donor to the recipient,” he explained.
He acknowledged that the law governing organ transplant in the country was scanty and limited in depth.
“It only requires the donor to be above 18years of age and the fact that there is no financial inducement for the donation.
“We have followed the above protocol strictly for all the kidney transplant cases done by the hospital,” he said.
Otabor called responsible journalism and hints at potential legal action against the Daily Trust for what he deems a defamatory publication.
Recall that in the wake of Daily Trust’s investigation into illegal kidney trade, questions arise about the inaction of medical associations and regulatory bodies.
Meanwhile, experts and Nigerians emphasises collaboration and responsible reporting to address the issue collectively.
