National Drive to Boost Organ Donation: Emphasis on “Brain Stem Dead” Donations

New Delhi: The urgent need to promote organ donation from deceased individuals, including those declared “brain stem dead,” was underscored today by Smt. Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Speaking at the 14th Indian Organ Donation Day ceremony organized by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), Patel emphasized the transformative impact of organ donation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has highlighted that one organ donor can potentially save up to eight lives, a sentiment echoed by Patel in her address.

During the event, which was graced by Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, Patel commended the families of deceased organ donors, calling their actions the “greatest service to mankind.” She urged citizens to pledge their organs, stressing that collective efforts are essential for India to emerge as a global leader in organ donation and transplantation.

While countries like Spain, the USA, and China lead in organ donation, Patel noted that India has made significant strides recently. She also called on officials to ensure that no donated organs are wasted before transplantation.

Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Guest of Honour, highlighted the significant gap between the demand and supply of organs. He called for institutional reforms in government hospitals to better manage organ transplantation and encouraged more institutions to offer these critical services. Paul noted that kidney transplantation is covered under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and urged insurance companies to include organ transplantation in their coverage. He also mentioned the “One Nation, One Policy” initiative, which has removed domicile and age-related barriers to organ transplantation.

Union Health Secretary Shri Apurva Chandra emphasized the importance of raising awareness about organ donation. He pointed out that while India ranks third in organ transplantation, most donations occur within families, necessitating a broader push to inspire public registrations. Chandra stressed the need to improve systems to prevent organ wastage, particularly given the tight timeframes for harvesting and transplanting organs from brain-dead individuals.

The event included the felicitation of 10 family members of deceased donors and four organ recipients. Awards were presented to top-performing states, regional and state organ and tissue transplant organizations, medical colleges, institutions, professional societies, medical professionals, and NGOs for their contributions to organ donation and transplantation. ROTTO North-PGIMER, Chandigarh received the Best ROTTO Award, while Telangana was recognized as the Best SOTTO/State. Other notable winners included Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and several medical institutions.

The ceremony also saw the launch of NOTTO’s e-Newsletter, Annual Report, and a manual on Organ Transport Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

As part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, the “Angdaan Mahotsav” campaign was launched in 2023 to promote organ donation nationwide. This year, the “Angdaan Jan Jagrukta Abhiyaan” campaign is organizing awareness activities across the country, from cities to villages, involving all Central Government Ministries/Departments, State/UT Governments, national, regional, and state organ and tissue networking organizations, hospitals, institutions, medical colleges, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

The event was attended by Dr. Anil Kumar, Director of NOTTO, Delhi Police personnel, organ recipients, students, and senior officials from the Union Health Ministry.