Organ Transplant: Recent Milestones Across India

• Highlights:

  • GMCH in Guwahati pioneers deceased kidney transplants in Northeast India
  • Ernakulam General Hospital achieves district-level recognition for kidney transplants
  • Nagpur's ZTCC facilitates organ allocation, benefiting three recipients in need

  The ongoing shortage of organs is resulting in the loss of lives. In India, three hundred thousand patients are awaiting organ donations, yet the rise in donors has not matched the demand. Specialists emphasize the urgent need for an increase in deceased donation rates. They stress the importance of raising awareness among ICU doctors and families about the potential to save multiple lives through a single deceased donor ().
  
  Experts caution that a new individual joins the waiting list every ten minutes in India.
  
  

  India�s Battle: Saving Organs Around the Country

  Guwahati: Deceased Kidney Transplant to be Conducted

  
  
  In Guwahati's Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), a significant milestone has been reached. With state government approval, GMCH is poised to conduct deceased kidney transplants. Serving as the sole hospital in the northeast with an in-house transplant team for this procedure.
  
  GMCH also has plans for liver, heart, and pancreas transplants in the near future. A specialized committee and board of medical experts have been established to determine brain death and to issue guidelines for organ donation. Currently, the hospital awaits a donor to initiate the process.
  
  

  Kerala: Received Official Certification for Kidney Transplants

  
  
  Meanwhile, Ernakulam General Hospital in Kochi has achieved a commendable feat. It has received official certification from the health department to perform kidney transplantation surgeries, marking the first time a district-level government hospital has attained such recognition.
  
  A dedicated facility for these surgeries has been established at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, with the first kidney transplantation surgery anticipated in early October. The certification, granted after a thorough assessment and subsequent report, remains valid for five years.
  
  

  Nagpur: Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) in Nagpur facilitates Allocation of Organs

  
  
  In a heartwarming gesture, the family of a farm laborer from rural Vidarbha, India, chose to donate his organs following his tragic passing in a road accident. The Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) in Nagpur facilitated the allocation of his organs, comprising both kidneys and his liver, to three individuals in dire need.
  
  

  Jaipur: Integrates the National Organ Transplantation Programme

  
  
  Notably, the state government of Jaipur has proposed the integration of the National Organ Transplantation Programme with the existing flexible pool for non-communicable diseases, a move aimed at bolstering organ donation efforts on a national scale.
  
  While the Health Ministry has introduced a range of measures to encourage organ donations, experts believe that more needs to be done to address this issue.
  
  Reference:

  1. Deceased organ donation for transplantation: Challenges and opportunities - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5036117/)

  
  
  Source-Medindia