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Various professional groups in the health sector want the government to formulate and gazette rules governing donation and harvesting of human organs in the country.

The health experts say lack of an established legal framework for this purpose is a major impediment on organ donation for transplanting and research purposes.

Dr James Waweru, the medical superintendent at Nakuru Level Five Hospital revealed this while addressing the annual conference of Morticians and Allied Professionals Association of Kenya (MAPAKe).

“Regrettably, Kenyans are being forced to travel overseas for medical procedures that can be done within the country just because we don’t have an established legal framework,” said Dr Waweru.

The conference held at the Kenya Medical Training College, Nakuru Campus, is the second one since the association was established to address existing gaps.

Waweru says that without legal frameworks, procedures that would have cost the beneficiaries less end up costing them an arm and a leg financially.

“Travel and accommodation expenses alone while seeking medical services in other countries end up gobbling up more funds than the actual procedure causing the families more suffering,” he said.

He noted that persons who cannot afford overseas treatment are left to suffer when functional and healthy organs would have been locally sourced from terminally ill and willing donors upon their demise.

“Many chronically ill patients can easily be saved if we allow people to donate their healthy organs at death. However, such life-saving procedures cannot be done due to unaddressed legal issues,” said Waweru.

The senior medic further noted that Kenya should follow in the footsteps of developed countries where organ harvesting is permitted under the guidance of laws addressing legal and ethical concerns.

“We are a third-world country but this status should not stop us from doing what doesn’t require resources. As medics, we must speak on this issue and bring on board Parliament which develops the laws,” he said.

Organ donation in developed countries is agreed upon by a donor when they are alive and of sound mind, volunteering to have their organs given to others upon their death.

Organ beneficiaries

“If these laws are enacted and Kenyans sensitised on them, many will be willing to be used as donors. This will save lives directly to organ beneficiaries and bolster our research in the medicine field,” said Waweru.

MAPAKe chairperson Elijah Mwinami echoed the sentiments saying this would work for public good.
“We also have many unclaimed bodies which end up being disposed off. With appropriate laws, learning and research facilities should be allowed to use such bodies,” said Mwinami.

The association further assured Kenyans that they are professionals contrary to tales spun on alleged illegal harvesting of organs in morgues.

“No professional mortician would allow a body to be released to their kin for burial without all the organs. This only happens when more tests are pending and the government and family has to be involved,” said Mwinami.

He said that the standards of mortuary services in the country had been elevated.
“This has been achieved through adoption of technology, innovation and research over the years,” said Mwinami.

The association further notes that most facilities continue to grapple with limited storage space.
This has led to some of the facilities especially those managed by public sector to dispose off bodies that remain unclaimed for long.

He explained that more people were interested in mortuary science with more institutions coming on board to offer related courses to better service delivery in the country.

“Managing society’s perception about this profession has been difficult but we are not where we were years ago. Morticians have been trained to ensure they uphold high levels of professionalism and handle bodies with dignity” he said.

Mwinami further noted that the job comes with its fair share of challenges among them emotional burden on morticians.

“Seeing a fellow human being who lost their life being neglected by their kin for varied reason is not easy. We are also humans and this affects us especially when we have to dispose the bodies,” he said.