Madhya Pradesh Government to give state honour to people who donate organs

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday announced that people who would donate organs before death to give a new lease of life to others will be given state honour during their last rites.

The Chief Minister said the bodies and organs of the deceased persons would be transported through the air ambulance service with the consent of the family members and a provision would be made to facilitate them with a posthumous award on national festivals.

Chief Minister Yadav made this announcement after meeting a patient, who got a new lease of life after a successful heart transplant was performed on him at AIIMS, Bhopal, on January 26.

The heart was procured from a 61-year-old brain-dead patient at the NSCB Medical College in Jabalpur and transplanted into a 53-year-old patient from Itarsi.

It was the first heart transplant case at AIIMS, Bhopal.

The donated heart was airlifted from Jabalpur to Bhopal's Raja Bhoj airport and then it was transported to AIIMS through a 'green corridor' established by the state police.

After meeting Dinesh Malviya (who received a donated heart), the Chief Minister held a meeting with Bhopal AIIMS Director Ajay Singh and reviewed the health facilities being provided to the patients at the state's premier health institution.

Later, during an interaction with mediapersons, Chief Minister Yadav said the state government would prepare a new guideline to encourage people to donate body and organs.

"Under the new policy, the government will establish a state-level institution to encourage people to donate body and organs. We will give state honour to the donors during their last rites. The government will also make a provision to give posthumous awards to them for giving a new lease of life to others," the Chief Minister said.

He added that the air ambulance service launched last year was ensuring speedy shift of critical patients from one city to another.

In areas where airstrips are not available, helicopter services are being provided for airlifting critical patients.