Kenya moves closer to streamline organ harvesting and donation from dead patients according to Kenya Tissue and Transplant Authority.
Kenya is one of the few African nations that has advanced the process of organ donation and harvesting.
The National Tissue and Organ Transplant Technical Committee, which has been assembled by the Kenya Tissue and Transplant Authority, is creating the rules, specifications, and recommendations that would permit particular organ donation programs.
Kenya Tissue and Transplant Authority Acting Director Dr. Nduku Kilonzo said that the Bill will see a move away from the enduring reliance on the family donation of organs, which has proven to be unreliable, at the four-day Kenya Renal Association in Mombasa.
“We have to find a way of starting to get Kidneys and other organs from people who have died and to be able to do that or what we call diseased donor programs, we must have regulations, Kenyans must understand why it is important,” Dr. Kilonzo said.
In the program, organs from deceased patients will be harvested to save the lives of people who are still alive but have organ problems.
However, there are legal complications involved during the harvesting of organs that may lead to a conflict of interest.
“There are legal issues which determine death. Who retrieves the organs and where the transplantation will take place to avoid conflict of interest,” Dr. Kilonzo stated.
These cases, according to the authority, involve people who may have passed away in accidents or after being taken off ICU support equipment.
However, organ harvesting won’t start until the deceased has given their prior approval through a will and the deceased person’s family has given their assent.
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According to Dr. John Ngige, president of the Kenya Renal Association, Kenya faces a lack of kidney donors because of factors such as health issues and blood group incompatibilities.
Additionally, the cost of dialysis is currently Ksh76,000. However, it will only cost Ksh42,000 for individuals who receive kidney transplants.
By December, the draft health Bill will be ready, with the authority asking parliamentarians to rally behind it especially on educating Kenyans on the importance of organ transplants.
Currently, countries in Europe, the US, and parts of Asia have enacted laws that allow the harvesting of body organs from dead patients for medical purposes.
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