Karnataka To Set Up Committee To Boost Deceased Donor Organ Transplants

Karnataka’s State Health Department will constitute an Organ Transplant Visionary Committee to strengthen the State’s organ transplantation programme and increase deceased donor transplants, Health Minister U.T. Khader said on Thursday.

The committee will be headed by Nagesh Hegde, who heads the State-run Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant (IGOT).

Khader said the decision was taken at a progress review meeting with the State Organ Transplant Advisory Committee, which he chaired.

Focus on awareness and access

The proposed committee will recommend measures to raise public awareness about organ donation and improve access to transplantation across Karnataka.

Its work will focus on strengthening infrastructure and streamlining procedures across the State, Khader said.

One of the key priorities will be to facilitate brain death certification and organ retrieval at all district hospitals and government medical colleges.

The committee will also recommend measures to expand organ transplant facilities in government hospitals.

These steps are intended to improve the State’s organ donation network and make transplantation services more accessible to patients awaiting organs.

Automatic organ retrieval centres proposed

Khader said the government was proposing that hospitals with 50, 100 beds capacity should automatically become organ retrieval centres.

“Most hospitals do not want to obtain licences for organ retrieval due to the long process of paperwork. To avoid this, we are proposing that all hospitals with 50, 100 beds capacity should automatically become organ retrieval centres. If they do not wish to, they can apply to get it cancelled,” he said.

The proposal is aimed at addressing the paperwork-related reluctance among hospitals to obtain licences for organ retrieval, according to the Minister.

Software system and transplant waitlist

The early launch of a new software system for organ allocation and tracking will be another priority.

The system is intended to improve the efficiency of the organ allocation and tracking process, the source said.

The government will also focus on renewing registrations of transplant centres whose approvals had lapsed, Khader said.

Karnataka has 6,291 patients awaiting organ transplants, according to the Minister.

Khader stressed the need to encourage more people to pledge their organs and said one deceased donor could help save multiple lives.

The Minister urged the public to pledge their organs through the Jeevasarthakathe portal at https://jeevasarthakathe.karnataka.gov.in.

He said the proposed measures were intended to strengthen the State’s organ donation network, expand transplant services in government hospitals and improve access to life-saving organs for patients on the waiting list.

Source: The Hindu