Urgent Organ Shortage in Pakistan Claims Up to 15 Lives Daily​

Organ Shortage in Pakistan: A Daily Crisis Claiming Up to 15 Lives

Pakistan is grappling with a severe organ shortage, leading to the tragic loss of up to 15 lives daily. This crisis is primarily attributed to widespread cultural misconceptions and religious hesitations surrounding organ donation. Despite the growing number of patients suffering from organ failure, the rate of organ donations remains critically low.​

At the First International Conference on Transplantation (FICT) hosted by the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi, experts highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue. Pakistani-American transplant pioneer Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mansoor Mohiuddin emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting that in the United States, one patient dies every 80 minutes due to the unavailability of organs. He proposed xenotransplantation—transplanting genetically modified animal organs into humans—as a potential solution, suggesting it could extend human life by up to 20 years. However, ethical and religious concerns continue to pose significant barriers to the adoption of this practice.​

The conference, a milestone in Pakistan’s medical history, brought together over 22 international experts from the US, UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Notable participants included Prof. John Fung, Prof. John LaMattina of the University of Chicago, and Prof. Paulo Grossi from Italy. The event featured 44 international-level presentations, with live-streamed liver and kidney transplants conducted for the first time in Pakistan. These live surgeries offered new levels of confidence and exposure to trainees, made possible via high-tech broadcasts from operating theatres to seminar halls and social media.​

Experts such as Dr. Asim Ahmed and Dr. Tasadduq Khan underscored the importance of strengthening legal frameworks, ethical standards, and public trust to build a fair and transparent organ donation system. They emphasized that organ trading exploits the poor and that what is needed is equity, not exploitation.​

The dire need for reform is evident. Every 10 minutes, a patient waiting for an organ transplant dies in Pakistan. One deceased donor can save up to seven lives, yet the current system fails to meet the demand. To address this, experts call for urgent reforms to promote both living and deceased organ donations, alongside exploring innovative solutions like xenotransplantation.

As the nation confronts this crisis, the collaboration between medical professionals, policymakers, and the public will be crucial in transforming Pakistan’s organ donation landscape and saving countless lives.