A panel discussion was scheduled on Day II of the Annual Transplant Coordinators’ Workshop to enable all the delegates to put forth their point of view and interact with the panel of experts.

The panelists included Dr. G.N. Rao of LV Prasad Eye Institute, Dr. K. Ravindranath of Global Hospitals, Dr. Ramaraju of Care Hospitals, Dr. J Amalorpavanathan of Government General Hospital Chennai, Ms. Prema Malini of TV 9, Mr. Nagesh Kumar of The Hindu, and Dr. B. Subramaniam.

The Moderator was Dr. George Kurian.

The topic for the Panel Discussion was “What can we do to improve the deceased donor programme?”

Though we in India have a huge pool of brain dead donors, many potential deceased donors are lost and organs and lives are lost. Despite the law and a few success stories, we fail when it comes to implementation of the programme. In comparison the eye donation has done better. Are the challenges of deceased organ donation insurmountable, can we work as a team, can the gaps in the law be adequately addressed, is the national programme ready to face the challenges that lie ahead?

Dr. George Kurian, the Moderator, put forth the various issues to the panelists and invited inputs from the delegates. He coordinated and then summed up each issue seamlessly. The gist of what was discussed is given below:

1. Qualifications of a Transplant Coordinator and Training

A person belonging to any profession but committed and dedicated to the cause of organ donation would be suitable to become a Transplant coordinator. Undergoing structured training is an absolute essential to understand the intricacies of the organ donation and retrieval process and counselling families in grief - both hard and soft skills need to be honed.

2. Reward for families of Deceased organ donors

Although one of the panelists put forth the option that recipients or recipient hospitals could start a “Deceased Donor family fund” to help families, the majority felt that this would be inappropriate since donation is synonymous with altruism. In Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, the maximum number of deceased organ donations has taken place. Here most of the families who said yes to organ donation have good socio-economic status. These families by and large do not require financial support. Donors whose organs have been donated at Government General Hospital belong to the middle class and lower socio-economic background. It was felt that the families of these deceased donors needed some kind of support, not necessarily monetary. After assessing the economic status of these families through post-donation follow-up, the coordinators could link up with other NGOs after identifying the need of the family (education, vocational training, any form of rehabilitation).

3. NGO Support

NGOs play a vital role in the organ donation programme. They ensure transparency and public acceptance. In Tamil Nadu, over the past six months the government-MOHAN Foundation partnership has yielded very positive results. This was applauded by the panelists. NGOs can help in policy making, training coordinators, database maintenance, etc. NGOs working for the cause across the country can join hands to streamline the transplantation process through adequate training. Areas which are a barrier can be identified and appropriate solutions found through sharing their experiences in conferences and workshops.

4. Media awareness

Short films that make you think about organ donation should be played at regular intervals in reputed channels. These films should be professionally made.

The media while focusing on the success rate of transplantations, should avoid revealing the details of the recipients. Hospitals should also exercise restraint in sharing details. The media should not extol the work of one particular transplant surgeon or hospital; it is team work that counts. Priority to the donor story needs to given. In this regard, media workshops on organ donation for sensitization of journalists can be organized by NGOs.

5. Hospital Management support

The hospital management needs to be committed to the deceased organ donation programme to ensure that it succeeds. Transplant coordinators and counselors appointed for the programme should not be assigned other jobs when there is a lull in the organ donation activity. The primary focus of those involved should not be allowed to waver. The dedicated eye donation programme of LV Prasad Eye Institute being carried out in the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, is extremely successful with a conversion rate of 80%.

Inauguration Of The Annual Transplant Coordinators' Workshop

Free Paper Session at the Annual Transplant Coordinators Workshop