A young patient receives treatment at SIUT | Photo by Arif Mahmood, White Star
Deceased organ donation is also victim to the myth that doctors may not try to save a life if they know that the person is a donor — that they would rather save their organs for transplant than save the patient. But Rizvi insists that the question of organ donation only comes up after all avenues to save a person’s life have been exhausted. Only then do doctors try to save organs like the heart, kidneys and liver so that other lives can be saved using them. “So, if I am dead, I can live in 12 different bodies by donating my organs,” he says.
Religious perceptions pose another constraint. Many among us believe that deceased organ donation is un-Islamic. Rizvi and SIUT have made serious efforts to counter these perceptions. One major result of their efforts is a recently published volume that contains individual and collective fatwas issued by the ulema and religious scholars of all sects and schools of religious thought. These fatwas categorically state that Islam allows organ donation and transplantation. How this initiative will contribute to changing the public perception – and by how much – is yet to be seen.
Pakistan’s greatest humanitarian activist, Abdul Sattar Edhi, passed away on July 8, 2016. As per his wish, his corneas were donated to two blind people. “The transplant took place in this very hospital,” says Naqvi at SIUT.
Edhi’s son and heir, Faisal Edhi, says he told SIUT to ensure that the first people on the waiting list got the corneas, be they Muslims or non-Muslims. “I have no objection; my family has no objection. I told them [the recipient can be] anyone — Parsi, Hindu, whoever.”
Faisal says he contacted SIUT several times to find out about the recipients of his father’s corneas but he was told by Rizvi and SIUT that it would not be ethical to disclose their names and contact details. Faisal believes there is no harm in divulging their names if they can be used to promote the cause of organ donation. “Our society is very weak” in breaking new ground, he says. Whenever something big happens in a country like ours, it is always led by great personalities or institutions, he argues, making a case for using his father’s name and those of the recipients of his corneas to raise awareness and change people’s attitude towards deceased organ donation.
Rizvi, however, insists on confidentiality. “It is a requirement of the law.” International rules and regulations and best ethical practices demand that we keep the details of recipients confidential, he says. He agrees that Edhi’s cornea donation became big news because the philanthropist was a great social icon, but, he goes on, “We have been doing cornea transplants earlier too” and never felt the need to reveal the recipients to society as sources of inspiration and awareness.
The SIUT website carries the names and pictures of deceased organ donors. It, however, carries only the pictures of the recipients — never their names.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Faisal himself has pledged to be an organ donor after death. “I have submitted my consent form at SIUT to promote the cause and send a message to society. There are millions of people who cannot see or need other organs to survive. The deceased organ donation programme gives them a chance to lead normal lives. It is the most humane thing to do.”