Human organ donation has not yet made significant progress in India in-spite of population of over 1 billion people. It is reported that annually, while over 100,000 Indians suffer from End Stage Renal Disease, only a mere 3,000 are recipients of a donor kidney, of which only a small percentage are cadaver organs. In fact, the total number of patients who have received cadaver kidneys in India from 1995 to 2003 is only 524, an abysmally small figure.
Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 was passed by the Government in 1994 to streamline various organ donations and transplant activities in the country. The aims of this act was to: Regulate removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes; prevent commercial dealings in organs, and accept brain death and make it possible to use these patients as potential organs donors.
The Human Organ Transplantation Act has legalized the concept of brain death for the first time in India. Since the passing of the legislation in India, it has become possible to undertake organ transplants from brain dead donors. However, relatives of the potential donors need to be educated about the futility of keeping brain dead accident victims 'alive'. Armed Forces of India has shown the way by performing 300 cadaveric kidney transplants in 2010. This should inspire ordinary people in India to opt to donate organs after their deaths.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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