One dead person can save lives of six persons by donating his organs including heart, liver, kidneys and lungs, Associate Prof Dr Amir Latif said.
He said two people could benefit from the kidneys of one person.
“Similarly, liver can be donated to two persons as its 30 percent is enough to perform in a health body. Even an alive person can donate 50 percent of his liver,” he added. He said lungs and hearts could also be donated to an ailing person.
“According to the Cadaver Human Tissue Ordinance 2009 and its passage in form of an act in the 18th Amendment, now it is a legal practice to transplant donated organs,” he said. When asked what impedes performing cadaver transplantation, he said lack of public awareness and non-implementation of law were the main hurdles apart from the shortage of needed medical facilities in the unit.
Latif was of his view that through cadaver donation, around 150 transplantations could be performed every year. “There is an urgent need to motivate people to donate their organs in the larger interest of ailing humanity,” he added.
He said cadaver donation had been started in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and in some countries of Europe like Germany and it was mandatory to donate organs after death.