Medical and legal experts have called for stronger enforcement of laws and safeguards governing organ donation and transplantation to prevent exploitation and alleged kidney trafficking in Nigeria.
They made the call on a television programme monitored from Abuja on Sunday, while discussing an alleged case involving the removal of a kidney from a man at a hospital in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the alleged victim claimed that he was taken to a hospital where his kidney was removed after his identity was allegedly changed and documents prepared before the procedure.
Medical examinations conducted at Nisa Premier Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja, reportedly confirmed that the man’s left kidney was missing.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police, which arrested four suspects, including two doctors.
Dr Ebun Ladipo Bamgboye, Consultant Nephrologist, said kidney transplantation was an important treatment for patients with advanced kidney failure but must be conducted within established medical, ethical and legal safeguards.
Bamgboye said living donors should ordinarily have a genetic or emotional relationship with recipients and must not donate for commercial reasons.
He said such donors could include parents, siblings, children, cousins, spouses and other persons with an established emotional relationship with the recipient, subject to applicable legal and ethical requirements.
According to him, that the requirement is primarily an ethical and legal consideration.
“Deceased-donor transplantation could involve recipients who have no relationship with the donor.
“A person can live with one kidney, although donation reduce the individual’s renal reserve and requires proper medical assessment and follow-up,” he said.
He said that women could donate kidneys, although doctors might exercise additional caution because of factors including pregnancy and the physiological demands it placed on the kidneys.
Mr Vincent Adekoye, Head, Press and Public Relations, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said vulnerable youths were increasingly at risk of being targeted in alleged organ-trafficking activities.
Adekoye said those targeted were often unemployed and financially desperate young people living in suburbs and settlements around major cities.
According to him, traffickers exploit their vulnerability through financial inducements, peer-to-peer recruitment and online platforms.
He said some traffickers created WhatsApp groups disguised as youth empowerment programmes, where potential victims were gradually groomed.
He said previously recruited persons could also be used to attract their friends by displaying sudden wealth and expensive gadgets.
Adekoye described the use of digital platforms for recruitment as an emerging dimension of technology-facilitated human trafficking.
He also stressed the importance of informed consent in legitimate organ donation.
He said potential donors must understand the procedure, its risks and the implications of living with one kidney, including medication, diet, lifestyle and post-operative care.
“Coonsent must be voluntary and free from financial inducement, coercion, intimidation or other forms of pressure.
“Informed consent is an ongoing process, and a donor retains the right to withdraw consent at any point before surgery, ” he said.
Mr Wayne Elijah, Principal Partner, a lawyer, said Nigerian law provided safeguards governing organ donation and transplantation.
Elijah said the National Health Act stipulated informed consent and imposed conditions, facilities and procedures involved in organ transplantation.
He said intending donors must undergo appropriate medical assessment and education, while procedures must be carried out in accredited facilities and in accordance with approved standards.
According to him, medical practitioners who fail to comply with relevant laws and professional requirements could face disciplinary action.
He said that medical practitioners could also face civil liability where their actions or omissions caused harm to a donor or patient.
“Kidney donation itself is not an offence when carried out in accordance with the law and ethical requirements,” he said.
The experts agreed that the ongoing investigation into the Abuja case should establish how the alleged procedure occurred and whether the required safeguards were followed.
They urged investigators to examine the roles of medical practitioners, recruiters, intermediaries and other persons connected with the case.
They also called for the identification of other possible victims and examination of medical records, consent forms and other relevant documentation.
The experts urged stronger collaboration among NAPTIP, law-enforcement agencies, health regulators, medical institutions and professional bodies to prevent exploitation in organ transplantation.
They said improved identity verification, independent assessment of donor consent, proper documentation and effective monitoring of transplant facilities would strengthen Nigeria’s transplantation system.(NAN)
