The Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) has warned the public that it neither buys nor sells kidneys.
The Transplant Coordinator at the hospital, Dr. Bashir Ahamed Dawaki, disclosed this in a press briefing organized by the hospital's dialysis unit to mark this year’s World Organ Donation Day.
The hospital is one of the teaching hospitals that perform organ transplants in Nigeria.
Dr. Dawaki disclosed that desperate families often contact the hospital, as well as his private cell phone, requesting that “they want to buy or sell a kidney.”
He stressed that the hospital only receives organs from willing donors after several tests indicate that their organs are in good condition.
World Organ Donation Day is an annual celebration observed on 13 August to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and encourage individuals to consider becoming donors.
The day honors the selfless contributions of donors and their families, as the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) states that about 1,03,993 people need a lifesaving organ transplant.
The number of available donors falls drastically short, leading to a critical gap between supply and demand.
This year’s theme is: “Be the Reason for Someone’s Smile Today!”
This theme aims to highlight the critical role that organ donation plays in saving lives and to promote awareness about the urgent need for more donors.
By focussing on it, the day seeks to inspire individuals to make the life-saving decision to donate their organs and help those in need.
Speaking at the briefing, a Consultant Nephrologist in the hospital, Prof. Aliyu Abdu lamented the lack of manpower and equipment for organ donation and transplantation in Nigeria.
Prof. Abdu also revealed that only “The Federal Medical Centre, Umuhaia; Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife; and the Mallam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, AKTH” perform organ transplantation.
He, however, urged governments at all levels to employ more medics and upgrade the facilities.
“Our major concern, now, is the lack of manpower and equipment for organ transplants,” he said.
“As we speak, we only have three public hospitals actively transplanting kidneys in the country. We need the government’s intervention,” he added.
Prof. Audu, a lecturer of Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Bayero University Kano, also advocated that the “government regulate the practice to halt organ harvesting.”
