How to Report an Illegal Organ Transplant or Organ Sale in Punjab: PHOTA Helpline 1109
Report an illegal organ transplant or organ sale in Punjab to PHOTA on 1109 or online. See office contacts, the complaint steps and what to keep ready.
Short answer: To report an illegal organ transplant or organ sale in Punjab, call the Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority (PHOTA) helpline 1109, Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 10 pm. PHOTA's website also has a "Blow the Whistle" form and an online complaint system that verifies your mobile number with a code.
A family sells a kidney to clear a loan. A broker promises a "quick match" for a sick father. A clinic quietly offers surgery without any paperwork. These stories are the reason the province set up a body whose only job is to approve, register and watch transplants.
We read the PHOTA website on 12 October 2026. This guide covers who to contact, what the site says it does, and what to keep ready. It does not replace medical or legal advice.
PHOTA approves transplants, so an unapproved one is the one to report
PHOTA says it holds the authority to allow or reject any donation, after looking at the medical and social condition of the donor and the recipient. A transplant that did not go through that approval is the kind of case its whistle-blowing page invites you to report.
The authority's own page on "Authorization of Transplantation" explains the route. A patient first contacts a registered transplant hospital. If the hospital accepts the patient as a candidate, it sends the case to PHOTA for final approval, and PHOTA decides case by case.
For a living donor, PHOTA says it checks documents that prove the relationship: the CNIC, passport, birth certificates, Family Registration Certificate and marriage certificate. All donors, living or deceased, must be registered with the provincial registry, and PHOTA keeps a record of living donors for monitoring after the operation.
| Step | Who does it | What PHOTA's site says |
|---|---|---|
| Find a registered hospital | Patient | Contact a registered transplant hospital first |
| Hospital accepts the patient | Hospital | Each hospital has its own criteria |
| Case sent for approval | Hospital to PHOTA | PHOTA decides case by case |
| Relationship documents checked | PHOTA | CNIC, passport, birth certificates, FRC, marriage certificate |
| Donor entered in registry | PHOTA | Living and deceased donors must be registered |
Call 1109 first, and keep the details ready
The helpline is 1109, open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm, according to PHOTA's Contact Us page. The head office is at 39 Shadman-1, Shadman Market, Lahore, on +92-42-99206046 and 99206047.
The site lists three regional offices as well. They are useful if you want to hand over papers in person.
- Rawalpindi: House 1, Street 5, Safari Villas 1, Bahria Town, +92-51-9334360.
- Multan: 111-A, Model Town, +92-61-9330982.
- Faisalabad: House P-3, Lasani Town, +92-345-7863335.
Have these ready before you call. They help the officer decide whether a case is a transplant, a sale or something else.
- The name and address of the hospital or clinic, or the broker's phone number.
- The date and city where the operation was offered or done.
- What was promised or asked, including any amount of money.
- Any messages, voice notes or receipts, saved as they are.
- Your own name and number, if you are willing to give them.
The website has two online routes, a complaint form and a whistle-blower page
PHOTA's home page shows "Lodge Your Complaints" and "Blow the Whistle" as separate buttons. The complaint system tells you how it works: you enter your mobile number, receive a security code by text, and enter it within two minutes.
After that you reach a profile page, fill in your details and open "Register Complaint". A complaint policy opens, then a form with fields marked red that you must complete. PHOTA says it will authenticate the information and then contact you for further details.
The whistle-blower page is meant for reports of illegal transplantation. We could not open its content from our test connection, so we cannot describe its fields. Use the 1109 line to ask which route fits your case.
Protect yourself and the patient while you report
Do not pay a broker, an agent or a "coordinator" to arrange a match. PHOTA's pages describe an approval route that runs through a registered hospital, so a person who offers a shortcut outside it is the red flag.
Do not confront the person who made the offer. Report first and keep the messages. If a doctor is involved, you can check that the doctor is registered with PMDC in two minutes. If a patient needs urgent care, a registered hospital remains the safe place for treatment, and our guide to free kidney and liver transplant care lists the institutions that treat patients without charge.
If you want to give an organ legally after death, the route is separate. We explain it in how to become an organ donor with your CNIC.
What we could not confirm
PHOTA's pages do not publish a public list of registered hospitals in the sections we read. They also do not state a time limit for answering a complaint or how a whistle-blower's identity is protected.
We did not call 1109 and we did not file a test complaint. We also did not read the transplant law, so we do not quote penalties here. Ask the officer on the helpline which law applies to your case.
Common questions
What is the PHOTA helpline number?
It is 1109, open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm, as printed on PHOTA's Contact Us page.
Where is the PHOTA head office?
It is at 39 Shadman-1, Shadman Market, Lahore. Regional offices are in Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad.
Does PHOTA approve every transplant in Punjab?
PHOTA says it holds the authority to allow or reject any donation. A registered hospital sends the case to it for final approval.
Can I file a complaint online?
Yes. PHOTA has an online complaint system that verifies your mobile number with a text code, then asks you to complete a form.
Can I report anonymously?
The pages we read do not say. The complaint system asks for a mobile number, so ask the 1109 officer how a whistle-blower report is handled.
Is this only for kidney and liver transplants?
No. The site lists registration for hospitals, surgeons, donors and recipients, and separate intimation for cornea and bone marrow cases. Online hospital registration is for kidney and liver only.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read PHOTA's home page, What We Do, Registration, Authorization of Transplantation and Contact Us pages, and its complaint system welcome page, on 12 October 2026. We also read the Punjab Portal helplines page, which lists PHOTA at 1109.
- Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority: phota.punjab.gov.pk
- Government of the Punjab, helplines: punjab.gov.pk/helplines
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
