Lok Sabha Parliamentary Q & A

Lok Sabha Parliamentary Q & A on Organ Donation & Transplantation 

 

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 

MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE 



LOK SABHA 

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 184 

ANSWERED ON 11.12.2015

Transplantation of Organs

184 .  Raju Alias Devappa Anna Shetti

Asaduddin Owaisi

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

 


(a) whether the Government has taken note of huge gap that exists between demand and supply of various human organs, thereby affecting transplantation, and if so, the details thereof; 

(b) whether the Government proposes to promote donation of human organs and provide various concessions, including free second class railway passes and health insurance cover to persons voluntarily donating their organs; if so, the details thereof; 

(c) whether the Government proposes to set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to streamline organ transplant programme and resolve coordination related issues, if so, the details and the composition thereof; and 

(d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to simplify and make organ donation more transparent?

Answer

THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA) 

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 184* FOR 11TH DECEMBER, 2015

(a) There is a huge gap between the demand for and supply of human organs for transplantation. The present annual requirement and availability of commonly transplanted organs is assessed as below:

Requirement Availability
Kidney 2,00,000 6,000
Liver 30,000 1,500
Heart 50,000 15

(b) While at present, no such proposals are under consideration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Government is keen to promote donation of organs from deceased persons and has, therefore, sought suggestions from public at large and other stakeholders including regarding incentives/concessions that could possibly be provided to the family/ members of family and a public notice in this regard has been placed on the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) website viz. https://www.notto.nic.in .

(c) An Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee headed by Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and comprising representatives from all Ministries/Departments concerned has been set up to coordinate various activities for promotion of organ donation.

(d) The Government accords a very high priority for increasing donation of cadaver organs to bridge the gap between the demand for and supply of organs and to save the lives of a large numbers of persons suffering from end stage organ failure. With this in view, the importance of organ donation has been highlighted by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Programme in October and November 2015. As a result, a very large number of calls/queries are being received by NOTTO from all over the country. Average number of visitors visiting NOTTO website everyday has increased from 665 before Mann Ki Baat on 25-10-2015 to 1407, and similarly, average number of calls being received has increased from 22 to 61 per day. Other steps taken to make organ donation easier include provision of updated information to general public on NOTTO website, a 24x7 call centre with toll free helpline number (1800114770), launch of National Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplant Registry. Further, financial assistance has also been sanctioned for establishing four regional level organizations called Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO) in the States of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam and UT of Chandigarh and carrying out awareness and training of transplant coordinators. The Government has also decided to award best performing State, best NGO, best transplant coordinator and best hospitals/institutes, etc. working in the area of organ donation. Hospitals have been advised to display boards outside the Intensive Care Units and at strategic locations in hospitals reminding that the law requires the doctor on duty/transplant coordinator/counsellor to make inquiry and request for organ donation from the family members of brain stem dead persons. Financial assistance is also being provided under the National Organ Transplant Programme for hiring transplant coordinators in Hospitals and Trauma Centres.

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