The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) urged the Ministry of Health and other key stakeholders to strengthen current guidelines and procedures for organ transplant programmes including the implementation of the National Organ Donor Programme for Deceased Donor Organ Transplants.

The SLMA said in a statement it was important to strengthen the capacity of ethics committees in hospitals to implement these guidelines and monitor these programmes, which would serve as a deterrent to trafficking of human organs, for the purpose of transplantation in Sri Lanka.   

“The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) is concerned about the references made against some members of the medical profession in litigation initiated in India pertaining to certain kidney transplants on Indian nationals carried out in Sri Lanka. The report of the inquiring committee appointed by the Ministry of Health will shed more light on this matter,” the SLMA said.

The statement said that all organ transplants carried out in Sri Lanka were authorised by the Ministry of Health.