The federal government is set to launch national policies and guidelines on organ transplants, following reports of unethical practices in organ donation and transplantation in the country.
This is as the Transplant Association of Nigeria (TAN) urged the federal government to address organ transplant tourism by investing in the local subsector.
Despite having a sufficient number of medical experts in the field, Nigeria faces significant challenges due to inadequate infrastructure and equipment, with 15 kidney, two bone marrow, and two corneal transplant centers, with more than half of these centers not operational.
The coordinating minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, on Saturday during the Living Kidney Donor Day event organized by Nisa Medical Group in Abuja revealed that new national guidelines on organ transplants will soon be introduced while expressing concerns about the increasing cases of kidney problems and unethical practices in organ transplants in the country.
Prof. Pate, who emphasized the necessity of investing in awareness campaigns, commended Nisa Medical Group for the initiative aimed at preventing kidney-related health issues from escalating into financially draining and life-threatening problems,
Represented by Kamil Shoretire, Head of the Trauma and Emergency Disaster Response Division at the Department of Hospital Services, the minister highlighted the urgency of national guidelines, noting the alarm raised in 2019 about two new leading causes of kidney disease among Nigerians.
According to the minister, with the rising cases of infractions in the transplant, Nigeria cannot afford to be complacent over the issue, saying,
“The number of patients affected by chronic kidney disease has also been increasingly affecting an estimated 843.6 million individuals worldwide as of 2017.
“In Nigeria, the leading causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes and infection causing inflammation in the kidneys, glomerulonephritis which can be caused by several other agents.”
To this end, he said the federal government is committed to enhancing the effectiveness of health governance in Nigeria by reducing political interference, improving population health outcomes, promoting medical industrialization, unlocking value chains, and strengthening health security.
“So we strongly associate with what we are doing today and pledge to support such initiatives moving forward.
“It’s time for renewal. It is also a time for optimism. It’s time for renewal. It’s also a time for optimism given that what we know has happened in the past and what is even going on around us now in the news on social media.
“Looking forward there’s a lot of potential for improvement in terms of where we can go, going forward for Nigerian citizens to live better and help their lives,” he added.
The minister commended Wada and his partners for recognizing the importance of investing in awareness initiatives for everyone, including current and potential donors, noting that early stages of chronic kidney disease are often asymptomatic, making awareness crucial.
Prof. Aliyu Abdu, a Consultant Physician/Nephrologist and Head of the Nephrology Unit at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, and Vice President of the Transplant Association of Nigeria (TAN), emphasized that government intervention in organ donation and transplantation is crucial for strengthening the nation’s health sector and curbing unethical practices.
Representing TAN President Prof. Jacob Awobusiyi at the event, Abdu noted that while Nigeria has sufficient medical expertise, there remains a pressing need to improve the necessary infrastructure.
“In terms of manpower, we produce for others, there are many Nigerians in the UK, US, Middle East and elsewhere that are doing transplants. So in terms of capability and capacity to do organ transplantation, we have enough manpower that can do that, we even produce for others.
“However, doing organ transplantation in Nigeria, there are a lot of challenges. The private sector was able to overcome most of these challenges and they have done a number of transplants.
“For instance, for kidney transplant, there are about 15 centres in Nigeria that are doing kidney transplant, 2 centres that are doing bone marrow transplant and 2 for corneal transplant.
“So the issue is not manpower 100%, other issues are infrastructure, government policy, financing and so on, these are the issues.
“If the government is interested, they can select 1 or 2 or a minimum of 6, one in each geopolitical zone and equip it to the maximum, so that transplant tourism will stop.
“If you look at the money Nigerians spend going outside for this transplant, it’s more than enough to invest in our own centres and will attract people from our neighbouring countries to come to Nigeria and do transplant.
“For bone marrow, there are two transplantation centres, one is in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and the other one is a private hospital.
“Unfortunately, the Benin Teaching Hospital is no longer active, but the private centre is active.
“For the kidney transplant, the majority of the centres that are active now, more than six or eight are private while only two or three public hospitals are actively transplanting or offering kidney transplantation in Nigeria.
“So you can see the gap is so wide. So most of the successful ones, and if you look at the number that is done in private hospitals, it’s much, much more than the total number in the 3 active public hospitals that are currently active in organ transplantation”.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nisa Medical Group, Ibrahim Wada, in collaboration with the Clarion Call Care Foundation, highlighted the urgent need for an awareness campaign on kidney conditions due to the alarming rates of these diseases.
Wada, who has been involved in the transplant field and working with living kidney donors for about 10 years, stressed the importance of celebrating those who selflessly choose to donate their organs without financial motivation.
Saying that to dedicate a day to honor the donors is well-deserved given their selfless contributions, Wada however noted that more Nigerians are gradually embracing the concept compared to previous years.
While supporting the government on the national policy and guidelines on organ donation, Wada, “Let those who do it understand that the world is watching us and we cannot be at the bottom of the ladder, we can be leaders in this.
“The Nigerian Kidney Transplantation Programme can be above board like any other. We need the Federal government with the guidelines.
“Woe besides those who will not follow the guidelines and what is to be done because the government has the regulatory power and the power to act against those who err in doing those things.”
