Organ, tissue transplant facility set to get a fillip
So far, only the western zone has responded to the Directorate General of Health Services.
With the formation of the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (NOTTO) at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, the government has set the ball rolling for a coordinated organ and tissue transplant facility across the country.
While the national centre in Delhi is “still being set up”, Dr Anil Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of NOTTO, said the second phase of setting up five Regional Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisations (ROTTOs) in Mumbai (Western zone), Chandigarh (Northern zone), Guwahati (North-eastern zone), Kolkata (Eastern zone) and Chennai (Southern zone) had begun.
“We have written to the respective states to identify government medical colleges where the regional centres can be set up. The medical colleges must have existing transplant facility,” said Kumar.
So far, only the western zone has responded to the Directorate General of Health Services — with the name of Mumbai-located civic-run KEM hospital as the office for ROTTO. An evaluation of the medical college will now be done to finalise the location.
The decision to create organ and tissue transplant centres in the country comes after a 2011 amendment in the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, which demanded an establishment of national registry amongst several other reforms.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan told The Indian Express, “I have appealed to all NGOs to promote the cause. Currently, all the activities at the national centre in Safdarjung hospital need to be established. An overall budget of Rs 149 crore has been allotted in the twelfth Five-Year Plan for overall activities related to organ and tissue donation, awareness campaigns, and necessary infrastructure.”
The NOTTO will have a centralised national database of organ and tissue recipients. Both NOTTO and ROTTO will focus on collection, coordination and distribution of organs and tissues between states. Apart from registering recipients for organ and tissue donation, ROTTO and its sub-centres called SOTTO (State Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation) will also be responsible for networking, advocacy and biometric identification.
“Till now, we do not have a centralised database. With creation of regional and state level centers, data will be available on the waiting list and cadaver organ and tissue transplants. Even our website is new,” Kumar added.
Currently, except for the ‘donor pledge’ section where one can make an online pledge to donate their organs, NOTTO’s rudimentary website comprises only under-construction sections.
Experts that The Indian Express spoke to stressed an urgent need for advocacy on organ donation. “Several hospitals are registered with us, but they have conducted only a few transplant surgeries. Awareness must be generated for organ donation. The government can only assist in coordination,” said Dr Kempi Patil, assistant director at Directorate of Health Services (Maharashtra).
Dr Gustad Davar, heading the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC) in Mumbai, said, “Society is still superstitious about giving away organs after death of their loved ones. The hospitals must take it upon themselves to counsel and convince family of brain-dead patients.”
tabassum.barnagarwala@expressindia.com
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