Organ Donation

Exact data on the number of premature deaths due to heart, liver, lungs, kidneys and pancreas complications has not been compiled. However, there is a huge gap between the demand for and supply of human organs for transplantation. The present annual requirement and availability of commonly transplanted organs is assessed as below:

                            Requirement                      Availability
Kidney                             2,00,000                             6,000
Liver                                 30,000                                1,500
Heart                                50,000                                      15

The Government accords a very high priority for improving awareness on donation of cadaver organs to bridge the gap between the demand for and supply of organs and to save the lives of a large numbers of persons suffering from end stage organ failure. With this in view, the importance of organ donation has been highlighted by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Programme in October and November 2015. Further steps have been taken to make organ donation easier including through provision of updated information to general public on NOTTO website, a 24×7 call centre with toll free helpline number (1800114770), launch of National Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplant Registry. Financial assistance has also been sanctioned for establishing four regional level organizations called Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO) in the States of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam and UT of Chandigarh and carrying out awareness and training of transplant coordinators. Hospitals have been advised to display boards outside the Intensive Care Units and at strategic locations in hospitals reminding that the law requires the doctor on duty/transplant coordinator/counsellor to make inquiry and request for organ donation from the family members of brain stem dead persons. Financial assistance is also being provided under the National Organ Transplant Programme for hiring transplant coordinators in Hospitals and Trauma Centres. The Government has also involved religious leaders and Non-Government Organisations, for generating awareness about organ donation.

Government is implementing National Organ Transplant Programme to support organ donation and make transplantation less costly and without delay with following components:-

(a)      Establishing National Networking including National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation at National level, Regional  Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) at regional level and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) in States;

(b)       Maintaining National Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Registry;

(c)      IEC activities for improving awareness on organ donation;

(d)     Provision of financial assistance to 100 needy and poor patients in Government hospitals every year for post-transplant immunosuppressant therapy;

(e)      Financial support for maintenance of body of deceased donor when the organ is allocated to a Government Hospital;

(f)       Funding of two transplant coordinators @ Rs. 20000/- per coordinator per month and a computer set for each Government medical college and attached hospitals. Financial support for this component is also available for good performing private centres.

(g)      Support for training of staff involved in transplantation such as Transplant Surgeons, Transplant Physicians, Nurses and Transplant Coordinators

(h)       Transplant facilities are provided at Government Hospitals at subsidized cost.

Financial Assistance is also provided to below poverty line patients under RashtriyaArogya Nidhi for organ transplantation.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.