Punjab Caretaker Health Minister Prof Dr Javed Akram presided over the 27th meeting of Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority (PHOTA) at Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education (SH&ME) Secretariat here.
Additional Secretary Finance Shahid Farooq, Punjab Healthcare Commission CEO Dr Saqib Aziz, PHOTA DG Prof Dr Shehzad Anwar, PKLI Dean Prof Dr Faisal Saood Dar and officers of others departments attended the meeting. Dr Fahad Abbas, brother of the late Rifat, who saved three human lives by donating her organs, also participated. During the meeting, tributes were paid to the late Rifat for saving three human lives and prayers were also offered for her high ranks in Jannah. The PHOTA DG presented agenda items to the chairman for approval. The meeting approved the special grant reserved for crackdown against accused involved in the illegal transplantation of human organs. The meeting also approved standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding human organ donation. Addressing the meeting, the caretaker minister said the health department would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for registration of human organ donors, adding that every human who wants to donate organs would be registered with the NADRA. He clarified that after brain death declaration, the organs were dismantled from the body. The summary would be sent to the Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister for approval of the grant regarding expenses of the transplantation for the Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority, he said. Javed Akram said the summary would be sent to the Punjab Chief Minister for a civil award of Rifat, who saved three human lives by donating her organs. During the meeting, PHOTA was given permission to recruit employees on short-term contracts subject to the approval of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). PHOTAs Department of Inspection and Registration was approved to register various public and private hospitals. The PHOTA has been directed to issue an annual calendar for convening the meetings of the monitoring authority and the decisions of the 26th meeting of the monitoring authority of PHOTA have been ratified.
