Religious leaders agree with kidney transplants
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian religious leaders have agreed to endorse the transplanting of kidneys taken from dead bodies as a means of increasing the supply of badly needed kidneys.
Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman, in his capacity as chairman of the National Kidney Foundation, yesterday hailed the agreement, which was signed by representatives from major religious organizations on Thursday.
"Now we're waiting for the religious leaders to issue fatwa (edicts) on the subject for their followers," Soesilo said during a symposium to review kidney diseases and the difficulties in treating them.
"The good news is that the Indonesian Council of Ulemas has promised to deliver the fatwa within one month," Soesilo said.
He expressed his hope that the agreement would pave the way for the transplanting of other organs such as heart and liver.
Transplanting a kidney from a dead person is medically feasible and must be done within 72 hours from the person's death, he said citing information from the Indonesian medical profession.
The agreement, the result of an eight-month debate, was signed on Thursday by representatives from 14 religious organizations, government agencies and professional associations.
All five state religions were represented: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The medical profession was represented by the Indonesian Medical Association and the Association of Emergency Doctors while the government was represented by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice.
Soesilo said the agreement is timely given the rising prevalence of kidney failure in Indonesia.
More than 10,000 people are killed in road accidents every year. Their kidneys, he said, could be donated to those in need.
People with kidney failure currently spend millions of rupiah just to survive, the minister said, referring to the Rp 200,000 ($85) patients have to spend each time they go in for regular dialysis treatments.
The cost of transplanting a kidney from a dead person is half of the Rp 10 million to Rp 15 million that is necessary to transplant from a live donor, he added.
The agreement also stipulates that before a kidney can be removed from a dead person, doctors must have the consent of his or her relatives. It also specifically bars trading in kidneys.
The symposium, held at the Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, ends today. Four Australian experts were among the experts invited to address the forum.
A three-day workshop on nephrology is scheduled to follow, beginning tomorrow at Hotel Horison. (31)