Revamping of transplantation policy is welcome
The Government's decision to take a re-look at the laws and rules governing organ donation and transplantation will bring a new ray of hope for both organ donors and the recipients. The joint efforts initiated by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to map patient's progress and network with all transplant hospitals across the country, will iron out the existing hurdles in this field. As both the nodal Government agencies are availing the services of other stakeholders, this may well pitch for a comprehensive policy framework to address the patient's woes to get a transplant. A new initiative to focus on the complexities in the post-transplant survival of the patients will be of immense help to determine the causes of casualties. The plan to develop a full-fledged registry of organ and tissue donors by the NIC will give instant access not only to the empanelled hospitals, but also to the public. The Government's decision to make this data available for academic research may in-turn help the medical fraternity have more alternatives to face future challenges. Currently, majority of transplants are performed in private hospitals. The Government must make it mandatory that these hospitals share the data of the patients. Else, the correct status of these patients will remain in dark. The guidelines for organ donation to a close relative are spelt out under the existing rules. But the NOTTO should have a clear policy to handle cases when the request comes from distant relatives for organ donation. It is equally important that the respective hospitals maintain confidentiality of the donor. Thus, the nodal agencies, working around organ transplantation, should translate the whole exercise into an inclusive work so that both, the donor and the recipient, feel safe and secure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to his countrymen, through his monthly ‘Maan ki Baat' programme, to donate organs, must be honoured. Donating an organ not only gives new life to the organ, but also to the body of the receiver. The NOTTO must raise public awareness programmes for organ donation and highlight the benefits of the same. Patients who suffer from critical diseases can donate their good organs. But in such cases, their nearest kins must be convinced about how the organ of a dead, brain dead or a seriously ill person, can save another life. This will make organ transplantation much easier task in India. Apart from the scientific hurdles encountered by the NOTTO, it must take the help of the professional organisations to fight socio-cultural taboos across the country. At times, even if a family is ready to donate an organ, it is superstitious beliefs that make it difficult to do so. Apart from this, health being a State subject, State Governments must be taken into confidence by both, NOTTO and NIC, to address the efficacy, relevance and the impact of the existing rules governing organ transplantation.