LAGOS – A Professor of Law, Justus Sokefun, said there is the need for the Federal Government to establish a National Board for Transplantation of Organs (NBTO) in the country.
Sokefun, also Dean, School of Law, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), disclosed this in Lagos while delivering the institution’s 7th inaugural lecture.
The theme of the lecture is: “Towards a Legal Regimen for the Transplantation of Human Organs in Nigeria’’.
He said that such board would be endowed with powers on all aspects of transplantation of organs.
The don said that the board would be created under an Act known as the National Human Organ Transplantation Act.
‘’The Act will, among other things, determine the requisite personnel for transplantation surgeries, assist in research for the definition of brain-death, provide training and continued education for staff in the specialised boards.
‘’It will also ensure the provision of financial incentives for highly technical and intricate aspects of medical practice.
‘’The board will also ensure the setting up of transplant centres on regional basis in Nigeria respectively, as well as mass education of the public on the virtues of donating organs,’’ he said.
According to him, transplantation of organs from a living or dead person in need of transplantation, has become a global practice which is often justified on grounds of its benefits to patients.
He said that in spite of new breakthroughs, innovations and techniques in medical practice and fast pace medical research, law had been slow in responding to such novel frontiers.
The don said that the establishment of the board would ensure that organ transplant in the country, which is sometimes done without the consent of those involved, would be checked.
‘’Organ transplantation is with little or no regulation and therefore requires that specific ethical standards be put in place by the regulating bodies which must be within the ambit of the law.
‘’Transplantation of organs such as kidney and liver which were hitherto all carried out abroad is now carried out in Nigeria albeit without legal control.
‘’This has resulted in the practice and activities in these areas not being regulated specifically by law but are rather subjected to the ordinary rules of general surgery.
‘’These new frontiers in medical knowledge and practice give rise to new issues relating to transplantation, consent, procurement, commercialisation, organ banking, which practitioners have to face and resolve from time to time,’’ he said.
The don said that since law is one of the means of controlling medical practice, it was desirable that issues in respect of organ transplantation be resolved within the confines of the law.
Sokefun explained that although law may not provide adequate and comprehensive response to new issues posed by organ donation/transplant, its control may nevertheless be necessary in the interest of the public.
He said that it was imperative for a legal machinery to be provided for the control of medical practice which will provide a benchmark and give law its continued duty of protecting the public.
According to him, efforts must equally be put in place for the possibility of putting in place organ banks for proper preservation.