The Government of India has taken several steps to improve the rate of organ donation in the country. These include dissemination of information by National Organ & Tissue Transplantation Organization (NOTTO), Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs) and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs) set up under the National Organ Transplant Program (NOTP). The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has written a letter to NOTTO, ROTTOs and SOTTOs for creating awareness among people towards the government recognized process of organ donation as permitted by the law and awareness about illegality & repercussions associated with indulgence in organ trafficking which is in gross violation of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994.

As a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, organ donation is getting promoted as a “Jan Andolan“ through social media.  In this regard, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is running a pledge campaign and slogan competition on MyGov platform. As a part of “Angdaan Mahotsav” initiated in the month of July 2023, various awareness programmes on deceased donor organ donation are being organized across the country. 1st National Webinar on organ and tissue donation was organized in month of July 2023 with a focus on Prevention of Kidney and Liver failure, which was attended by thousands of Medical Professionals.

A website ‘www.notto.mohfw.gov.in’ is operational along with a 24x7 call center having a toll-free helpline number (1800114770) to provide information, tele-counseling and to help in coordination for organ donation. Activities are organized across the country for generating awareness, such as celebration of Indian Organ Donation Day (IODD) annually, seminars, workshops, debates, sports events, walkathons, marathons, nukkad natak, NOTTO Scientific Dialogue 2023 etc.  Display boards on organ donation are exhibited outside ICUs and other strategic locations in the transplant/retrieval hospitals. Advertisements are published in print media, dissemination of audio and audio-visual messages is done through social media, electronic media etc. Regular programs are conducted with school children for giving them knowledge about organ donation and conducting competitions like poster making, running special pledge campaign and slogan competition on MyGov platform etc.

The kidney transplantation package has been included under PM-JAY scheme of Ayushman Bharat by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Also, under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), financial support upto Rs. 15 lakh is provided by the Ministry to the patients who are below poverty line for transplantation of Heart, Lung, Liver, Kidney, etc.

Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 provides for an Appropriate Authority to be appointed by every State/UT, for investigating any complaint or breach of any of the provisions of this Act, or any of the Rules thereunder. Health and law & order being State subjects, it is primarily the responsibility of the States and UTs to take actions against unscrupulous operators who provide access and make organs available through money spinning networks in the country. The Appropriate Authority of State/UT shall, for the purposes of this Act, has all the powers of a civil court to try a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908).

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prof. S.P Singh Bhagel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

****

MV

HFW/ PQ / Update on Organ Transplantation /8December2023/2