We live in a country in which hundreds of young people die every year, not from disease, but from violence (motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, etc); taking with them to their graves perfectly healthy organs and tissues.

The prime minister's recent speech, in which he posited the idea that Jamaica should set up some sort of organ bank to harvest and use healthy organs to save the lives of people in need, therefore makes perfect sense. Golding went on to say that he would need the guidance of the church and the medical profession for guidance as to how best to implement such a plan.

The characterisation of the PM's proposal as ill-advised and far-fetched by Prof Lawson Douglas, as reported in the article in The Sunday Gleaner, left me disappointed and bewildered.

Lack of medical knowledge

Dr Douglas' assertion that the technology for storing certain organs in a bank does not exist, is merely to take pedantic advantage of the prime minister's lack of medical knowledge as some organs cannot be stored in a bank, per se, but have to be used within minutes of being harvested. (The PM clearly acknowledged that he was not au fait with the issues involved in such a plan; hence his plea for advice.) However, to complete the picture, there are tissues with a much longer shelf life that can be stored in a bank for months or even years.

While such a venture is undoubtedly very expensive and complicated, I think it is deserving of more consideration and attention, and I am happy to see that the Medical Association of Jamaica is supportive of the idea.

I am, etc.,

DR G. GRAHAM

Montego Bay