Simplifying Organ Donor Law and Procedures

Dialysis and Renal Transplantation are two treatment options for patients with end stage renal disease condition. As per available information, transplantation is usually the first line of treatment for such patients.  As compared with dialysis, Transplantation is considered more effective in improving the quality of life.

While, no change is envisaged in the law, following steps have been taken to make cadaver organ donation easier:

(i)  Website of NOTTO namely www.notto.nic.in provides updated information and online facility for registering pledges for organ donation.

(ii)  A 24x7 call centre with toll free helpline number (1800114770) has been established for providing information on organ donation and coordinating matters relating to retrieval and allocation of organs recovered from cadaver donors.

(iii) National Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplant Registry has been launched.

(iv) The networking of transplant and/or retrieval hospitals has been started initially in Delhi and NCR.

(v) Five regional level organizations called Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO) have been identified in the States of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal and UT of Chandigarh for networking and coordinating procurement and distribution of organs.

(vi) Training of Transplant Coordinators of Delhi and NCR has been conducted by NOTTO.

(vii)  Operational Guidelines for National Organ transplant Programme have been released.

(viii) Policy and Criteria for Organ allocation in case of kidney have been finalized and approved. Draft Policy for Liver, Heart and Cornea have been placed in public domain for comments and suggestions.

(ix) Draft Standard Operating procedures for maintenance of Brain dead donors and retrieval of organs have also been developed.

The Minister of State (Health), Shri Shripad Yesso Naik stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.