MoS Anupriya Patel encourages countrymen to step forward to donate their organs after death

New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel on Saturday highlighted the importance of organ donation, an act of compassion that has the potential to save lives and improve the quality of life for countless people in need and encouraged countrymen to step forward to donate their organs after death.

While addressing on the occasion of the 14th Indian Organ Donation Day ceremony organised by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), here today in the presence of Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, she said, “There is a need to promote organ donation from deceased persons and “brain stem dead” people to meet the huge need for organ donation in the country.”

On the occasion, the Union Minister felicitated 10 family members of deceased donors for their brave decision to donate the organs of their loved ones and four recipients of organ donation. Awards were also presented to the best performing states, regional and state organ and tissue transplant organisations, medical colleges and institutions, professional societies, medical professionals, and NGOs, etc. to recognise their contribution in the field of organ donation and transplantation.

Lauding the family members of deceased organ donors for “doing the greatest service to mankind by saving the lives of numerous people,” Patel called them an inspiration for the entire country, and encouraged the countrymen to step forward to pledge to donate their organs after death.

“It is only through the concerted efforts of every individual and institution that India can realise its vision of becoming one of the leading countries in organ donation and transplantation,” she said.

In her address, she also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for highlighting the importance of organ donation. Patel said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has highlighted the importance of organ donation and has given special emphasis on the fact that one organ donor can give new life to up to 8 people.”

The Union Minister said that though many countries like Spain, the USA and China are much ahead in organ donation, India has also made some notable achievements in this field in recent times. She also urged officials to take all steps to ensure that no organs are wasted before getting transplanted.

Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, who was also the Guest of Honour at the event, highlighted the huge gap between the demand for and supply of organs and noted the need for institutional reforms in government hospitals to take up the challenge of organ transplantation. He lamented that there are only around 750 institutions providing organ transplantation services and encouraged the other institutions to also come forward to provide such services, the statement added.

Dr Paul informed that kidney transplantation is covered under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and called upon insurance companies to cover organ transplantation.

He also highlighted significant efforts made by the Union Government to ensure ease of organ transplantation, like the “One Nation, One Policy,” which removed domicile and age-related roadblocks to organ transplantation. He ended his address by paying tribute to the organ donors and urging people to unitedly come forward towards this noble cause, it added.

The statement said that Union Health Secretary, Apurva Chandra highlighted the need to enhance awareness about organ donation as there are a large number of people registering for need of organs. He mentioned that “although India ranks third in organ transplantation since most organ donations happen amongst family members, there is a need to inspire people to register for organ donation.”

The event also witnessed the launch of an e-Newsletter, NOTTO’s annual report, and a manual providing an introduction to the Organ Transport Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), it added.