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“Organ donation needs to become a way of life for us so that we can give a new lease of life to those suffering from organ failure.” This was stated by Ms. L. S. Changsan, Addl. Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as she inaugurated the Chintan-Shivir on “Reforms required for augmentation of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in terms of Technology, Processes and Legislation in India”, here today. Prof. (Dr.) Atul Goel, Director General Health Services (DGHS), Dr. Anil Kumar, Director, National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Ms. Vandana Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were among the dignitaries present at the occasion.
In her inaugural address, Ms. L. S. Changsan said that “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has highlighted the importance of organ donation in his Mann Ki Baat programme and emphasized on the fact that one person donating organs after death can give a new lease of life to up to eight patients suffering from various organ failures.” She stressed on the need to promote organ donation from the deceased persons to meet the huge need for organ donation in the country.
Underlining the government’s efforts for the cause, Ms. Changsan highlighted that “the Government of India has adopted a policy of “One Nation, One Policy” for organ donation and transplantation and has also started the consultation process with the State Governments in this regard. Our focus is to improve the availability of infrastructure and trained manpower for organ transplantation, especially in government institutions”. She added that the Government has already initiated an Organ Donation Public Awareness Campaign by the name of “Angdaan Jan Jagrukta Abhiyaan” which is actively underway in various states and institutions.
Dr. Atul Goel, Director General Health Services (DGHS) said that “NOTTO has taken the lead in the field of organ and tissue transplant in India. The Chintan Shivir provides an opportunity for introspection to put systems in place”. He added that “In our nation we have had a tradition of giving i.e. altruism. While we have live donations, we need to encourage deceased donations as much as possible both in government and private hospitals”.
The two-day Chintan Shivir will cover ten important themes concerning organ donation and transplantation and various sub-themes.
The specific objectives for the Chintan Shivir are:
- To discuss the reforms required for augmenting organ and tissue donation & transplantation.
- To explore and discuss advancements in technology that can improve organ donation and allocation processes.
- To propose recommendations for legislative reforms in order to strengthen the existing legal framework related to organ donation and transplantation.
- To provide an enabling environment for organ donation and allocation by ameliorating existing technologies involved in the process.
The sessions will focus on themes such as plugging legal loopholes; One Nation, One Policy; ensuring transparency; improving the ecosystem, making organ transplants affordable, accessible, and equitable, and preparing a roadmap for the same. Representatives from States, NGOs, organ transplant societies, eminent transplant professionals, and experts from various government and private institutions will participate in the Chintan Shivir.
Background:
Government of India is implementing the National Organ Transplant Program to promote organ donation from deceased persons so that more organs can be made available for organ transplantation for people suffering from the last stage of organ failure. Under this Programme, an apex-level organization “National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization” (NOTTO) has been established at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and a nationwide network of transplant and retrieval hospitals and tissue banks has been created. The registration of patients waiting for organs, transplant cases, organ donors, etc. is being done at the national level. The registration process has been made easier through NOTTO’s web portal www.notto.abdm.gov.in for people who want to donate organs after death. The web portal was launched on 17th September 2023.
Additionally, five Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs) have been established at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai and Guwahati to reach out to Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and North-Eastern regions of the country respectively. It is plannned to establish a State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO) in every state and so far, 21 State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs) have been established. Patients suffering from organ failure can register themselves to receive an organ from a deceased organ donor at the hospitals where they are undergoing treatment. A dedicated website www.notto.mohfw.gov.in provides information on organ donation and transplantation and facilitates online registration of hospitals for networking and creation of a national registry. Facility to take online and offline oaths for organ and tissue donation is available. A helpline is operational round the clock on the toll-free number 1800114770.
