List of hospitals accepting Voluntary Body Donation

Voluntary body donation is a programme wherein the general population can will their bodies to serve the purpose of medical education and scientific research.

Body donation is governed by the Anatomy Act, 1949 - “An Act to provide for the supply of unclaimed bodies of deceased persons (or donated bodies or any part thereof of deceased persons) to hospitals and medical and teaching institutions for the purpose of anatomical examination and dissection and other similar purposes.”

Whole body donation can only be made to hospitals that have been authorised by the state government to accept such donations. These hospitals could be a tertiary hospital (a facility that provides medical care that requires highly specialized skills, technology and supportive services) or a teaching hospital where it will be used solely for the purpose of research or training of students.

• Be useful for understanding human body and for advancing science


• Help medical students learn relations of human anatomic structures and development of psychomotor skills by dissection


• Be the finest source for gaining medical knowledge, more than any textbook or computer as each cadaver is a new source of knowledge with variations


• Help surgeons and others to experiment innovative surgical skills and procedures in the form of cadaver labs, workshops, explore in a realistic manner


• Help cadaver banks (brain, skin, vessel) – molecular research and cadaver grafting

FAQs

Who can donate their body?
Almost anyone can become a whole body donor after death. There is no upper age limit. Even those who are very ill could be eligible, as researchers often require donors who have a specific disease or medical condition.

While it is not necessary to register in advance to become a body donor, it can be useful to connect with an organization in advance to ensure there is no confusion about the individual’s wishes and that arrangements are made quickly after the individual passes.

Body Donation Process:
Identify the closest hospital or medical college or NGOs that may facilitate body donation, and contact them to understand their requirements for whole body registration. Each hospital will have a slightly different set of rules and procedures.

You can obtain this information by accessing the following link - https://www.mohanfoundation.org/body-donation-hospitals.asp

Register yourself under the voluntary donation programme after understanding the procedure for donation. Sample registration forms are given below.

Body donation forms for Chennai are listed below

1. Kilpauk Medical College Form
2. Madras Medical College Form
3. SRIHER Form
4. Stanley Medical College Form

Misconceptions about Voluntary Body Donation

1. Myth - The organs will be removed from the dead person and distributed for transplantation
   Fact - This is a false statement as organs retrieved from only a brain-stem dead person can be used for transplantation.


2. Myth - All private medical college hospitals can accept voluntary body donation.
   Fact - Private medical colleges can only take unclaimed bodies as per Anatomy Act. Very few such colleges have been issued permission to accept voluntary donations.


3. Myth - When multi-organ donation has been done, the body can be accepted for donation.
   Fact - When multi-organ donation is done the body cannot be donated since it will not be useful for study purposes. Medical schools will require a complete body, and will usually decline a the body of a person has undergone surgery for removal of organs or tissues for transplantation. Body donation is possible following donation of corneas (eye donation).