The Federal Government has mandated that all health facilities involved in organ transplant in Nigeria must be registered and licensed before they can operate.
These facilities are also required to establish independent, facility-based Organ Transplantation Committees, separate from their medical transplantation teams.
Plans for a nationwide inspection of organ transplant facilities for accreditation and licensing by the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTHISC) are at an advanced stage, alongside efforts to establish a National Organ Transplantation Registry.
The announcement was made on Thursday, March 6, in Abuja during the unveiling of the Standards and Guidelines for the Establishment and Coordination of Organ/Tissue Transplantation Services in Nigeria.
The document, developed by the Professor Fatiu Abiola Arogundade-led Organ Transplantation Guidelines Panel under the NTHISC, provides ethical standards for organ donation and transplantation, donor protection mechanisms, informed consent procedures, and organ allocation processes.
It covers essential areas such as kidney, liver, eye tissue, hematopoietic stem cell (bone marrow), gamete and embryo donation, storage, and surrogacy.
During the launch, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Adekunle Salako, emphasized the importance of the guidelines, stating,
“These guidelines provide a much-needed regulatory framework for organ transplantation. They aim to restore trust in organ donation in Nigeria by promoting transparency, accountability, and adherence to international best practices.”
Represented by the Director of Hospital Services, Jimoh Salaudeen, the Minister highlighted rising cases of unethical practices and organ trafficking in Nigeria, saying, “This document is particularly important given Nigeria’s unique challenges. In recent times, we witnessed troubling incidents of unethical organ harvesting and other excesses within the organ transplantation workspace.”
He pointed to cases where young Nigerians from poor backgrounds were victims of organ trafficking.
“This sad narrative usually speaks about young Nigerian victims from poor backgrounds who were targeted by criminal cartels, lured with money, or forced promises of a better life.
” These cases underscore the urgent need for stringent regulations to protect organ donors and recipients alike. With these guidelines in place, we expect significant progress in the sector.”
Following the launch, Salako, through his representative, announced immediate steps to implement the guidelines.
“Authorities will begin by mapping and registering all healthcare institutions involved in organ donation and transplantation, ensuring that only certified facilities with adequate capacity are authorized to perform these procedures. Effective monitoring mechanisms will be implemented to evaluate adherence to the guidelines.
Additionally, we will establish an organ donation and transplantation registry and banking system to streamline the management of organ donations across Nigeria.”
He also stressed the need to strengthen existing laws to ensure compliance.
“As Nigeria’s legislative landscape regarding ethical organ harvesting is evolving, we recognize the need to further strengthen our current laws, stipulating penalties to invalidate detailed violations of the provision of this guideline and that of the National Health Act 2014.
In other words, the effort to sanitize organ transplantation processes in Nigeria is a work in progress, and our government will ensure that nothing stops it.”
