Put all adults in organ donor registry: Varun Gandhi to move Bill

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 13

Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi on Thursday said he would soon introduce a private members’ Bill in the Lok Sabha proposing the inclusion of all adults in the national organ donors’ registry.

“I will be introducing a private member’s Bill that proposes to put all adult citizens in a national organ donation register, which anyone can voluntarily opt out of. This will ensure a reduction in the number of deaths due to non-availability of organs,” said Gandhi on the occasion of the National Organ Donors Day.

India’s rate of deceased organ donation remains among the lowest in the world less than 1 per million.

In Spain and Croatia, the corresponding rates are 46.9 and 38.6 per million, respectively.

Despite the easing of national organ donation laws and policy push by the government, the gap between annual demand of organs for transplant and their availability in India remains huge.

Health Ministry data show that annually the following number of persons need organ and tissue transplant—kidneys (2.5 lakh), liver (80,000), heart (50,000), cornea (one lakh). Actual number of organ transplants done every year is acutely low—kidneys (160), liver (33), heart (45) and cornea (2,188).

Medical experts have repeatedly said they can save several road accident victims if the country reaches satisfactory levels of organ donations.

As per latest data India saw 4.61 lakh road accidents in a year involving 1.49 lakh deaths.

Doctors say there are two kinds of organ donations. 

One is deceased organ donation. The other is living donor organ donation.

Living donor has to be a person above 18 years and it means any person above 18 years can pledge to donate one kidney (the other is capable of maintaining body functions); a portion of pancreas (half the pancreas are enough to sustain required functions) and a part of the liver (segments of liver will regenerate after some time in both the donor and the recipient) in their lifetime.

People can pledge organs online through the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) website www.notto.gov.in