Tags:
Journalism of Courage
One of the frustrating realities in Indian healthcare is the gap between demand and supply of organs for transplant. Hundreds of thousands of patients wait for transplant of kidneys,lungs,hearts,liver,pancreas and corneas and their wait is stretched due to a combination of institutional delay and individual prejudice. On one hand,theres still no national registry of willing organ donors; on the other,many people still baulk at the very suggestion of cadaver donation. The governments energies,until now,have been directed at coming down on the booming black market in organ transplant,and regulating who may donate to whom. Belatedly,the government is now proposing steps to increase the availability of organs for transplant.
For instance,theres a proposal to widen the scope and definition,as well as regulation,of transplants with the Transplantation of Human Organs Amendment Bill 2009. This will allow for the transplant of tissues,apart from organs,and will include grandparents and grandchildren in the definition of near relatives. The health ministry also plans to have a column in driving licences allocated to reflect a persons willingness to donate vital organs. Given the absence of a registry,this would be a significant step.
