Tajikistan Transplant Center denied any connection to organ trade in Uzbekistan.
Earlier, it was reported that an Uzbek couple attracted donors through social networks and sent them to Tajikistan for transplantation.
While an investigation is underway in Uzbekistan into the activities of a criminal group involved in human organ trafficking, the Tajikistan National Scientific Center for Organ and Tissue Transplantation (Istiklol Clinic) has officially stated that the institution has no connection to illegal surgical practices.
Earlier, it was reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service of Uzbekistan had halted the activities of a criminal group that recruited donors via social networks and sent them to Tajikistan for transplantation. According to the investigation, this scheme was organized by a previously convicted 37-year-old man and his wife. They targeted individuals in financial difficulty through videos appealing for help and charity, offering to buy their organs.
In a statement to Asia-Plus, the Center's director, Saidmahmud Ismoilzoda, emphasized that the institution's activities are organized in accordance with national legislation and international bioethical standards. Each transplantation process involves several stages of verification: the family relationship between the donor and recipient is confirmed through official documents; besides a medical examination, a psychological assessment is conducted; and final approval is granted by the independent ethics commission of the Ministry of Health.
The Center guarantees the recording of all stages in official statements, as well as the elimination of the possibility of illegal processes.
