The Attorney General’s Office has presented a significant Organ Transplant Bill to the People’s Majlis, intending to create a thorough legal structure for organ transplantation in the Maldives, while making illegal the sale and unapproved extraction of human organs.

The legislation specifies severe consequences for:

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  Extracting organs without permission

  
  

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  Transacting organs for transplantation purposes

  
  

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  Functioning without a transplant permit

  
  

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  Providing inaccurate information or breaching transplant regulations

  
  

The law will only allow transplants from live donors. Contributors need to be:

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  Minimum age of 18 years

  
  

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  Psychologically stable

  
  

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  Willingly agreeing

  
  

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  Not in governmental custody or fulfilling a prison sentence

  
  

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  To supervise execution, the legislation suggests the establishment of:

  
  

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  A council for organ transplantation consisting of nine members

  
  

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  A committee of five members for Organ Transplant Authorization

  
  

Quality control will be governed by the Health Services Act, guaranteeing that medical facilities comply with necessary standards prior to authorizing transplants.

After ratification, the bill will take effect 180 days later. Health Minister Abdulla Nazim previously stated that the initial draft was finalized with input from local and international medical professionals, highlighting that the legislation would enhance the Maldives’ healthcare system to new heights.

At present, no hospital in the Maldives is permitted to conduct organ transplants, although certain private hospitals have established the required infrastructure. Legal approval is awaiting the passage of this bill.