The Federal Ministry of Health has written a letter to the Nigerian Medical Associations (NMA) to alert doctors on the increasing number of human kidney trafficking.
According to the letter, signed by Wapada Balami, Director of Hospital Services in the Ministry of Health, the presidency is alarmed by the rise in illegal harvesting and transplanting of human organs.
It specifically asked the NMA to inform all the doctors in the relevant specialities “so that Nigerians will be circumspect while embarking on medical tourism in other countries”.
The letter was in response to the arrest and prosecution of 41 suspected human kidney traffickers in Egypt.
The presidency said the office of Egypt’s Prosecutor-General had issued names of private hospitals in Giza area of Cairo involved in the trafficking of human kidneys to include:
- Dar al-shefa in Helwan, Cairo
- Al-Bashar Specialist Hospital in Faisal, Giza
- Al-Amal Centre for General Surgery in Maurinteya, Giza
- Dar Ibn Al-Nafis Hospital, Giza
Mike Ogirinma, NMA President, told Daily Trust that NMA might not have the power to stop the illegal trade of human organs but the association could investigate the issue.
“If some of our colleagues are in that trade, that is very disheartening,” he said. “For us as an association, we may not have such powers to stop it but we can investigate.”
Chikezie can be reached at comeje@icirnigeria.org. Follow him on Twitter: @KezieOmeje