Six arrested for illegal kidney transplantation, says minister

LAHORE– The Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SHC&MED) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have busted a group involved in an illegal kidney transplant.

Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique announced on Tuesday that teams from the Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority (PHOTA) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested six members of a gang engaging in illegal kidney transplants.

According to the minister, PHOTA and the FIA detained the gang members, which included Cardiologist and Transplant Surgeon Dr Tariq Rasheed, Dr Abdul Hameed, Dr Athar Shah, Chief Dialysis Technician Dr Shahid Nawaz Bhatti, and two donors, Muhammad Zulfikar and Muhammad Irfan.

The accused were performing illegal kidney transplants at a medical center. The unlawful grafting is also captured on CCTV film, according to the ministry.

A case has been filed against the arrested individuals. An FIA team is undertaking operations to apprehend their accomplices.

Khawaja Salman Rafique commended the FIA team for its cooperation with the Health Department.

“PHOTA is taking aggressive action against groups participating in unlawful human organ transplants throughout the province.

The elements involved in unlawful human organ transplantation are a burden on society. Strict laws would be passed in the Punjab Assembly to combat such notorious characters,” the minister stated.