President Muizzu ratifies Organ Transplant Act with a ban on donations from prisoners

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu on Thursday approved the Human Organ Transplant Act, which makes it impossible for prisoners to donate organs.

Parliament passed the first bill on May 14 to regulate organ transplantation and penalise the sale of organs. However, the President did not approve the bill and sent it back on May 31.

The President said the bill was returned because it allowed prisoners to donate organs. He said he did not see prisoners as able to give full consent.

“Prisoners are in special circumstances restricted by their own choice and freedom, and it does not appear that they can consent to organ donation with full consent, and without any kind of coercion,” he said in his letter to Parliament.

Therefore, the bill was passed again on the 14th of this month after being considered at committee stage. The bill was sent for approval two days later, on the 16th of this month.

The Social Affairs Committee of Parliament examined the bill and brought an amendment stipulating that an organ donor must not be a person in custody or a prisoner.

With the President’s approval of the bill on Thursday, the Human Organ Transplant Act has now become law. The law will come into force on January 19 next year.

Another important change to the bill at committee stage is the penalties for illegal organ harvesting and transplantation. Earlier, the bill included provisions for retaliation and blood money, but those sections were deleted at committee stage.

The current penalty is a fine between MVR 200,000 and MVR 250,000 and imprisonment between one and six years.

The Organ Transplant Council will be established within two months of the entry into force of the Act.