A Summit on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism was held in the Vatican City at the Casina Pio IV, the headquarters of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on 7-8 February 2017.

The agenda at the summit focused upon the worldwide experience of organ trafficking and compelling solutions for government and agencies to combat this illegal practice. There were 75 leaders representing over 60 countries at the summit. Chancellor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo chaired the meeting that was conducted by Dr. Francis Delmonico, past president of ‘The Transplantation Society’ and a renowned world leader in the field of transplantation.  

At the conclusion of the summit, the following recommendations on Organ Trafficking were proposed to national, regional and municipal governments, ministries of health, to the judiciary, to the leaders of the major religions, to professional medical organizations, and to the general public for implementation around the world:

 1. That all nations and all cultures recognize human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal and organ trafficking, which include the use of organs from executed prisoners and payments to donors or the next of kin of deceased donors, as crimes that should be condemned worldwide and legally prosecuted at the national and international level.

 2. That religious leaders encourage ethical organ donation and condemn human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal and organ trafficking.

3. That nations provide the resources to achieve self-sufficiency in organ donation at a national level – with regional cooperation as appropriate – by reducing the need for transplants through preventive measures and improving access to national transplant programs in an ethical and regulated manner.

4. That governments establish a legal framework that provides an explicit basis for the prevention and prosecution of transplant related crimes, and protects the victims, regardless of the location where the crimes may have been committed, for example by becoming a Party to the Council of Europe Convention against Organ Trafficking.

5.That healthcare professionals perform an ethical and medical review of donors and recipients that takes account of their short- and long-term outcomes.

6. That governments establish registries of all organ procurement and transplants performed within their jurisdiction as well as all transplants involving their citizens and residents performed in another jurisdiction, and share appropriate data with international databanks. 

7. That governments develop a legal framework for healthcare and other professionals to communicate information about suspected cases of transplant-related crimes, while respecting their professional obligations to patients. 

8. That responsible authorities, with the support of the justice system, investigate transplants that are       suspected of involving a crime committed within their jurisdiction or committed by their citizens or residents in another jurisdiction.

9.That responsible authorities, insurance providers, and charities not cover the costs of transplant procedures that involve human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal or organ trafficking. 

10. That healthcare professional organizations involved in transplantation promote among their members awareness of, and compliance with, legal instruments and international guidelines against organ trafficking and human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal. 

11. That the World Health Organization, the Council of Europe, United Nations agencies, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and other international bodies cooperate in enabling a comprehensive collection of information on transplant-related crimes, to yield a clearer understanding of their nature and scope and of the organization of the criminal networks involved.

India was represented by Dr. Sunil Shroff, President of Nephrology, Urology & Transplantation Society of SAARC, Vice President of Indian Society of Organ Transplantation and Managing Trustee, MOHAN Foundation and Dr. Sandeep Guleria, Senior Transplant Surgeon from Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Dr.Guleria gave the Indian perspective of the organ donation programme and Dr.Shroff spoke about ‘Why does organ commerce take place in India despite a stringent law.’