Strengthening Regulation and Public Awareness in Organ Transplantation
Medical professionals in Nigeria have emphasized the need for stronger regulation and increased public awareness to ensure safe and ethical practices in organ and tissue transplantation. This call to action was made during a one-day seminar focused on the dissemination of the 2025 Standards and Guidelines for Establishing and Coordinating Organ/Tissue Services in Nigeria.
The event, held in Abuja, was organized by the Federal Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee under the Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Clarion Call Care Foundation. The seminar was themed “Promoting safe, ethical and accessible transplantation practices through awareness and stakeholders’ engagement.”
The newly launched guidelines, which were introduced in March 2025, represent Nigeria’s first comprehensive framework for organ and tissue transplantation. These standards aim to regulate transplant centers, protect vulnerable groups from exploitation, and align local practices with international benchmarks.
This initiative comes in response to growing concerns about organ trafficking, coerced donations, and unethical medical practices within the country. According to the World Health Organisation, transplantation involves replacing non-functional cells, tissues, or organs with healthy counterparts obtained from another individual through voluntary donation during their lifetime or after their death.
Prof. Philip Abiodun, Chairman of the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee, highlighted that the guidelines are designed to curb illegal commercialization of organ donation and ensure only qualified institutions and professionals conduct transplants. He also emphasized the importance of voluntary, informed, and coercion-free organ donations, stating that the goal is to protect lives, eliminate abuse, and promote ethical medical practice.
“Organ transplantation offers immense hope, but it is a complex field that demands thorough regulation,” he said. “Without clear rules, protocols, and ethical standards, there is a real risk of unsafe practices, exploitation, and erosion of public trust. The 2025 Standards and Guidelines have been designed to serve as Nigeria’s powerful tool in regulating every aspect of organ and tissue transplantation.”
Prof. Abiodun noted that recent reports of exploitation of poor and underage donors, as well as cases of young Nigerian female undergraduates being recruited for egg donations without proper awareness of health risks, underscore the urgent need for robust control measures.
He stressed the importance of widespread dissemination and implementation of the guidelines across Nigeria’s health system. “Every facility offering transplantation services, every regulatory authority, every transplant surgeon, ethics committee, policymaker, and civil society organization must become fully acquainted with these guidelines and embrace their role in upholding the standards.”
Dr. Iyore James, a General Surgeon and President of the Clarion Call Care Foundation, emphasized that the guidelines provide specific instructions on regulating transplant centers and protecting vulnerable people from exploitation. She highlighted that Nigeria’s legal framework already prohibits commercialization of organs through the National Health Act of 2014, which requires voluntary and non-coercive donor consent.
She also warned against illegal channels where donors are abandoned after surgery, emphasizing the importance of post-surgical care. “Everybody can live with just one kidney, but you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where your kidney starts failing and now you need a kidney transplant, and there’s nothing that can be done,” she said.
Dr. James urged the public to rely on legal, regulated pathways for organ donation to ensure their health and safety. “Times are hard, but people need to know there is a legal and ethical way to donate without force, and you will be taken care of afterwards.”
Prof. Aliyu Abdu, a Professor of Medicine at Bayero University, Kano, and Consultant Nephrologist at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, stressed the importance of enforcing the guidelines to prevent unethical practices such as using minors, commercialization, and transplants in unqualified facilities. He called for stronger implementation and punishment of offenders.
“The guidelines were developed by the Federal Ministry of Health to set up standards of what it takes to have an organ donation safely and ethically in the country,” Prof. Abdu said.
