Doctors lobby for organ transplant in private hospitals

Doctors under their umbrella body of Uganda Medical Association (UMA) have proposed adjustments in the Organ Donation and Transplant Bill to allow private hospitals carry out organ transplantations.

While appearing before the Parliamentary Health Committee yesterday with his team, Dr Herbert Luswata, the UMA secretary general, said restricting transplantations to public facilities is unwise because of capacity gaps.

“Some of the preliminary tests which are required for an organ transplant cannot be performed because they lack the capacity.  Government laboratories in Mulago National Referral Hospital cannot even carry out compatibility tests,” he said.  The Monitor couldn’t independently verify this claim.

His remarks came after Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the Health minister, while appearing before the same committee on August 9, said they intend to “designate Mulago Hospital as the pioneering transplant centre”.

Dr Luswata said the Bill in its current nature has limitations.

“When you say there shouldn’t be money involved in organ donation, it is like you are limiting all processes of organ donation to only a government hospital on assumption that government will provide everything,” he said.

The Bill, under ethical consideration, subsection 1, states that each designated transplant centre and the approved bank shall have measures in place to avoid conflicts of interest.

“The measures referred to under subsection (1) shall ensure that no employee of the designated transplant center has any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect in relation to activities of the designated transplant centre; engage in any business transaction or professional activity related to those of a bank or designated transplant centre; or incur any obligation of any nature which is in substantial conflict with the full and competent performance of duties in the bank or designated transplant centre in which he or she is employed,” the Bill reads.

However, the UMA, in its position paper, said this would hold transplant surgeons in one hospital, a condition they say is “not workable.” 

The UMA recommended that this should be phrased “to relax the rule on private practice or introduce a provision to cater for private facilities.” Dr Charles Ayume, the chairperson of the Health Committee in Parliament, said they are still gathering recommendations before coming up with final adjustments .

view on children

The UMA also recommended that on the issue of children donating their organs, “we should exclude children from this [organ donation] except for donation of bone marrow for children with sickle cell disease” to avoid exploitation.

[email protected]