National Organ Donation Day, a hallmark of humanitarian generosity, was commemorated on the 27th of November by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India.
About National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP)
The National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) is an initiative that aims to facilitate organ transplantation in India. It takes financial responsibility for establishing Regional Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisations (ROTTOs), State Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisations (SOTTOs), and for the development and upgradation of existing organ retrieval and transplant centres.
Organ Donation Institutional Set up: NOTTO, ROTTO and SOTTO
On a national level, organ donation in India is overseen by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). They are assisted by Regional Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisations (ROTTO) at a regional level and State Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisations (SOTTO) at individual state levels. These bodies ensure streamlined operations in terms of organ retrieval, storage, and transplantation.
India’s Standing in Global Organ Donation
As per the rankings provided by the World Health Organization’s Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT), India has the third largest rate of organ donation in the world.
Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994
India implemented the Transplantation of Human Organs Act in 1994, which was later revised in 2011 to form the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act. This act established rules for the removal and storage of human organs, set standards for their transplantation for therapeutic purposes, and introduced measures to prevent commercial dealings in human organs.
Main Provisions of the Transplantation Act
The Transplantation Act recognizes brain death as a valid form of death and sets criteria for establishing brain death. The Act provides for regulatory and advisory bodies to oversee transplantation activities, as well as a maintenance system for a registry of organ donors and recipients.
Way Forward: Promoting Awareness
Indian Organ Donation Day plays an instrumental role in raising awareness about organ donation and honours the generous contributions made by deceased donors to healthcare and humanity. Through such initiatives, our faith in humanity is rekindled and reinforced.
(Source: PIB)
