Reps back bill to regulate organ donation, ban organ trafficking
- House of Representatives don pass second reading bill to regulate organ and tissue donation from dead donors for Nigeria.
- Di bill go create national authority, waiting list and matching system for organs.
- Di bill ban organ trafficking and commercial dealing, and e reject presumed consent.
Di House of Representatives don pass second reading a bill wey go set up Nigeria first full legal framework for taking organs and tissues from dead donors and giving them to patients wey need them.
Dem consider di bill for plenary on Wednesday, and na Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and six other lawmakers sponsor am. Dem vote am through and send am to di relevant committee for more work before e go come back to floor.
For ordinary Nigerians, di bill matter pass for wetin e talk about money. Dem go share organs through national allocation and matching system and national waiting list. According to im sponsors, patient money, political connection or social standing no go decide who go get organ, and if person no fit pay no go remove am from di list by itself.
Leading di debate, co-sponsor Patrick Umoh talk say organ donation dey give chance for one person death to save or improve anoda person life. He argue say without clear rules, vulnerable people fit dey exploited and public trust for donation fit collapse.
Di bill get 172 clauses inside 16 parts and three schedules. E go create National Deceased Donation and Transplantation Authority, wey go base for Abuja with zonal offices, to regulate and coordinate di process from identifying donor to di transplant itself.
Donation go be voluntary. Di bill reject presumed consent, di system wey treat everybody as donor unless dem opt out. Adult wey get legal capacity fit authorise donation, and dat authorisation go stand even if family members object. Valid refusal go also binding.
Di bill talk say di prospect of donation must never influence how dem declare death, and death must dey confirmed independent of any transplant.
E also provide for licensing and accreditation of hospitals and professionals, donor audits, reporting of adverse events, traceability and safety alerts. Trafficking, transplant tourism, brokerage and commercial dealing in organs go dey banned, with enforcement measures.
Families of donors go get information, counselling, bereavement and psychological support, and religious or spiritual support if dem ask for am. Di authority go publish annual reports and national performance indicators while protecting personal data.
Wetin go happen next
Di bill now go standing committee, wey go examine am in detail before e come back for third reading. E go then need concurrence from Senate and President signature before e become law.
