The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft law Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 2017, providing for three years’ rigorous imprisonment or Tk10 lakh fine or both as punishment for the illegal trade of human organs. Additional secretary M Ashraf Shamim told reporters after the meeting that without government approval no hospital could conduct human organ transplantation in the country. As per the proposed law, there will be a medical board in every hospital for deciding transplantation matters and a National Cadaveric Committee will oversee human organ transplantation across the country. In the name of organ donation, illegal trade of organs has reportedly been going on in the country for over a decade. The existing law stipulates imprisonment for three to seven years, Tk3 lakh as fine or both for violating the law.

Source: Dhaka Tribune July 17, 2017 10:33 UTC