NADRA rolls out patient ID verification for transparency in organ transplants

Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is introducing a new biometric patient ID verification system to enhance transparency in the collection and transplantation of organs in hospitals across the country as part of an expansion of its digital health solutions suite and attempt to reduce organ-related crimes.

The country has a history of issues surrounding the selling of organs, persistent trafficking and even transplant tourism.

To start the project, NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik signed a deal with Shifa International Hospital in the capital Islamabad to deploy the solution which will also be used to verify and authenticate the identity of patients and donors for organ transplants, according to an announcement shared with Biometric Update.

Both parties agreed that the new digital health solution, dubbed the Biometric Verification System (BVS), will go a long way in tackling some of the challenges facing Pakistan’s health sector, such as the illegal trafficking of organs for transplant purposes.

The solution, according to the partners, will also facilitate the process of collection, allocation and transplant of organs to the right patients.

Per the agreement, the ID verification system, which will work 24/7, will be deployed to Shifa hospital to accelerate the process of registration and verification for transplant of human organs and cells. The system will also help authenticate patients’ claims of not having family members available who could offer organs for donation as all those details will be checked with family data held by NADRA.

Before this system was rolled out, registering to request or donate an organ donation was a long and difficult process, the partners say.

Commenting on the development, NADRA chairman Malik says: “NADRA has pivoted the ID ecosystem to introduce e-health initiatives, one of which is the current solution that will make the process of organ donor and transplant transparent and accountable.”

“NADRA, the most responsive public sector organization, has once again demonstrated its utmost commitment towards providing a very smart solution to resolve one of the longstanding issues in health sector that is to combat illegal organ trafficking,” says Malik, adding that he hopes the deal with Shifa will open up the window for more collaboration with other health institutions.

NADRA recently also announced the delivery of the last batch of biometric tablets built with its indigenous solution for the conduct of an upcoming population and housing census.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  NADRA  |  Pakistan  |  patient identification  |  Tariq Malik