Lahore:Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has announced that the capacity of the Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority (PHOTA) is being increased to improve its efficiency and combat illegal organ transplantation.

He was addressing the 33rd meeting of the Monitoring Authority of PHOTA, held at the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department here on Wednesday.

The minister emphasized the Punjab government’s commitment to making PHOTA more active and directed strict action against those involved in the illegal trade of human organs.

During the meeting, the performance of PHOTA was reviewed, and several key decisions were made. The minutes of the 30th, 31st, and 32nd meetings of the Monitoring Authority were approved, along with the terms of reference for PHOTA’s executive committee.

The meeting included detailed discussions on the registration of government and private hospitals for organ transplantation, with updates presented on their current status. PHOTA was also granted pe
rmission to conduct emergency transplantation and approved a policy for organ transplantation of foreign nationals in Pakistan.

Additionally, PHOTA received approval to clear financial arrears for the fiscal year 2023-24, reflecting the government’s commitment to supporting its operations.

Prominent attendees of the meeting included Additional Secretary Technical Dr. Muhammad Waseem, CEO Punjab Healthcare Commission Dr. Saqib Aziz, Dean PKLI Prof. Faisal Saud Dar, Prof. Arif Nadeem, Dr. Asif, Prof. Izhar Chaudhry, DG PHOTA Prof. Shahzad Anwar, and representatives from the Home and Finance departments.