A BREAKTHROUGH in the long-awaited legislation to ban trading in human organs in the territory will be made this week when the Government announces plans to extend coverage to imported organs.
The Health and Welfare Branch will on Tuesday tell legislators that it will add a significant new clause to the Human Organ Transplant Bill.
Under the proposal, where a human organ is imported for the purpose of transplanting, the doctor who performs the operation must submit a report to the new Human Organ Transplant Board, with a description of the organ, the name, sex and age of the donor and the date and time of its removal.
In the case of a cadaveric transplant, the date, time and cause of death is also required.
Anyone performing a transplant operation without submitting this information to the board will commit a criminal offence, although proposed penalties have not yet been fixed.
The aim of the legislation is to outlaw organ trading by ensuring that any imported human organ is donated willingly. The new provisions would presume there was a commercial incentive unless the overseas organ's origin could be proved.