Health Economics department of Dhaka University has suggested an independent kidney foundation to get success in treating kidney diseases in the country. Specialists feel that if this suggestion is implemented then both the donor and the receiver of kidney will be benefitted along with the prevention of illegal kidney trade.
The main proposal has been written by director of The Institute of Health Economics, Dr. Syed Abdul Hamid with help from assistant professor of the National Cancer Research Institute, Dr. Habibullah Talukdar.
Dr. Syed Abdul Hamid, says: “there are two sides to kidney treatment: dialysis and transplantation.”
In our country, the law states that to transplant a kidney, a donor will be needed and also specifies who the donor will be.
Law in Bangladesh states that kidney can be taken from close relatives like father, mother, grandfather, son or daughter.
However, wealthy people are going to India and China along with the donors. As a result, money is going out of the country.
“In our country, there is proper transplant procedure available which is Tk. 5 to Tk. 6 lakh though going overseas the expense soars to Tk. 35-40 lakh.”
A powerful kidney donor foundation should be formed through which kidneys can be donated, he added.
Both the buyer and donor can get in touch through the foundation saving the buyer from being fleeced.
Professor of the urology department of BSMMU, Dr. Habibur Rahman, Dulal, says: “setting up an independent kidney foundation will bring huge benefits. Around 30 to 40 thousand people end up with damaged kidneys every year and, of them, 90 per cent die without treatment.”
In many countries, the donor is paid by the government and it would be advisable to give that money through the foundation. At the foundation, the person taking the kidney will not give any money to the donor, instead the government will provide the money to the donor as a gift, he said.
“Once the commission is formed, kidney trading will fall, a kidney bank will be formed and treatment will get an added impetus.”