ORGAN transplants in the Philippines, including those scheduled under the medical-tourism program, have been temporarily held in abeyance by the Department of Health (DOH) pending approval of a new policy being drafted that will establish a board to set the guidelines on organ transplantation in the country.

On questions the medical-tourism program could suffer a setback, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday “kidney transplantation is not part of medical tourism” and the administrative order on the suspension was also meant to kill a thriving industry of illegal organ trade that often preys on the poor.

Duque had also ordered the creation of the Philippine Network for Organ Donation and Transplantation (Philnetdat) that will, among others, oversee the inspection and accreditation of transplant facilities.

In 2006 and 2007, about 200,000 patients from foreign countries that include the United States and its territories, South Pacific nations, Canada, Korea and Japan have come to the Philippines for medical tourism.

The temporary ban on organ transplant for foreigners was also done in the wake of reports that non-Filipinos are being prioritized for the medical procedure over local patients because donors are often paid between P100,000 and P200,000.

But a group of militant health professionals warned that the proposed DOH policy would only legalize and facilitate the sale of kidney and other human organs.

The Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) said the AO does not define what it meant by “gratuity” and “acceptable compensation” as alternatives to paying organ donors.

“Even in broad strokes, there is no description as to how the DOH seeks to stop kidney trade outside the creation of a board,” said the group in a statement.

Dr. Gene Alzona Nisperos, HEAD secretary-general, also criticized a provision that allows a donor name the donee. “[It] means that the donor designates the recipient, which further cultivates a prorich bias and rampant abuse of the poor.” 

Between 10,000 and 12,500 Filipinos develop end-stage renal disease annually and about 50 percent to 60 percent of them are kidney-transplant candidates.

However, less than 10 percent are given transplants because of insufficient supply and the high cost that many patients could not afford.

Ermita hit for ‘stretching’ SC ruling

SENATORS on Monday slammed Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s “erroneous” interpretation that a recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling effectively allowed Cabinet officials to evade Senate summons to testify in inquiries into alleged anomalies in the Arroyo administration until the publication of Senate rules covering investigations in aid of legislation.

INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc., the country’s largest port operator, has bagged the 25-year contract to manage and operate the state-owned Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Misamis Oriental, besting two other bidders.

THE National Police and the Armed Forces are discussing a proposal for the police organization to take over the anti-insurgency operations in some areas in the country.

A NATIONAL Police task force tasked to investigate cases of unexplained killings has filed 83 cases, arrested of 28 suspects, affected the surrender of 14 others and had four assailants convicted, a report to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) revealed.

A RECENT report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that while the Philippines has a low brain drain rate, Filipinos who reached college remain attracted in working or settling over long periods in OECD’s 29 member-countries.

ORGAN transplants in the Philippines, including those scheduled under the medical-tourism program, have been temporarily held in abeyance by the Department of Health (DOH) pending approval of a new policy being drafted that will establish a board to set the guidelines on organ transplantation in the country.

ALARMED by what he described as the “alarming rate” of incestuous relationship in the families of overseas contract workers, a legislator has filed a bill moved to criminalize incestuous sexual relations between family members, imposing stiffer penalty to guilty parties.

LABOR Day is just a month away and Sen. Mar Roxas wants to be able to present a labor law exempting minimum-wage earners from income taxes so that he will push for it as soon as Congress resumes in April.