Lok Sabha Parliamentary Q & A on Organ Donation & Transplantation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

 

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 4228

ANSWERED ON 22.03.2013

 

ORGAN DONATION

 

4228.     Shri SHIVAJI ADHALRAO PATIL

                ANANDRAO VITHOBA ADSUL

            MADHU GOUD YASKHI

                DHARMENDRA YADAV

 

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:-

 

(a) whether the Government has decided to provide free second class railway pass facility and health insurance cover to the relatives who give their consent for donating the organs of a brain dead person;

 

(b) if so, the details thereof;

 

(c) whether the Ministry of Railways has sought the compensation from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the same;

 

(d) if so, the details thereof and the response of his Ministry thereon; and

 

(e) the other steps taken by the Union Government to promote and simplify the procedure of donation of human organs?

 

ANSWER

 

THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)

 

(a) & (b): No.

 

(c) & (d): Does not arise in view of the (a) above

 

(e): Government of India has enacted the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011 which has made following provisions for simplifying the procedure for human organ donation:

 

i. ‘Retrieval Centres’ and their registration for retrieval of organs from deceased donors.

 

ii. Swap Donation included.

 

iii. Mandatory inquiry by the Registered Medical Practitioner of a hospital in consultation with transplant coordinator (if available) from the near relative(s) of potential donor admitted in Intensive Care Unit and informing them about the option to donate and if they consent to donate, inform the retrieval centre for retrieval of organs.

 

iv. Mandatory ‘Transplant Coordinator’ in all registered hospitals under the Act for coordinating all matters relating to removal or transplantation of human organs or tissues or both and for assisting the authority for removal of human organs.

 

v. Constitution of Brain death certification committee has been simplified.

 

vi. National Human Organs and Tissues Removal and Storage Network and National Registry of Donors and recipients of Human Organs.

 

vii. Enucleation of corneas has been permitted by a trained technician.

 

To create awareness for organ and tissue donation among the stakeholders and general public, Indian Organ Donation Day is celebrated in the month of November, every year since the year 2010. Recently, the 3rd Indian Organ Donation Day was organized on 30th November 2012 at Safdarjung Hospital New Delhi. A stall was set up during the India International Trade fair at New Delhi in 2012 to spread the message of Deceased Organ Donation among the public.

 

Regional “Organ Donation Awareness workshops” were organized in coordination with State Governments during 2011-2012 in the cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Puducherry, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chandigarh, & Thiruvanananthapuram for increasing the awareness among public for organ and tissue donation.