Human Organs are a National Resource and Not Even One Should be Wasted : J P Nadda

Pledging his organs for donation, Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Sunday claimed his ministry would soon come out with new rules, regulations and protocols to facilitate cadaver donation. Terming organ donation “an egalitarian and a moral act”, Health Minister J P Nadda on Sunday said the government will come out with rules, regulations and protocols for facilitating organ donation as he pitched for making it a national movement and pledge his own.

Expressing concern over the present rate of organ donation and transplantation not being close to the requirement in the country, he said organs were national resource and not even one should be wasted.

Donating organs is a gift and is an altruistic, egalitarian and a moral act. We can turn the end of a life into a new beginning by donating our organs,” Nadda said. He along with officers, staffers, doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff members of all central government hospitals of the national capital pledged to donate his organs.

Though India documents about 1.5 lakh brain dead patients every year, only a handful of patient families come forward to donate organs, showcasing a lukewarm response to the government’s organ donation campaign.

Health Ministry is implementing the National Organ Transplant Programme with a view to promote organ donation from deceased persons and increase the availability of organs for transplantation. The Minister said a number of activities have already commenced a part of the programme and the state governments have been sensitised about the need to have systems in place to improve awareness in this regard.

“Even though we have a good (organ transplant) law, very few are able to afford the cost of an organ transplant in the absence of organs and facilities. An average Indian remains deprived,” said Vivekanand Jha from The George Institute for Global Health, India.

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A large number of potentially transplantable organs could not be utilised due to lack of awareness on the part of ICU physicians. A recent research has shown that in a big tertiary care centre, less than 10% of brain stem dead patients could be converted to actual donors. It suggests a huge untapped potential for cadaver transplant.

Source-Medindia