Dr. Vipin Kaushal
Professor, Department of Hospital Administration &
Superintendent
P.G.I.M.E.R.
Sectpr 12, Chandigarh
Organ Donation
What is Organ Donation?
Organ Donation is the gift of an organ to a person with end stage organ disease and who needs a transplant.
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What are the different types of Organ Donation?
There are two types of organ donation:-
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 i.  Living Donor Organ Donation: A person during his life can donate
·      one kidney (the other kidney is capable of maintaining the body functions adequately for the donor),
·      a portion of pancreas (half of the pancreas is adequate for sustaining pancreatic functions) and
·      a part of the liver (the segments of liver will regenerate after a period of time in both recipient and donor).
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ii.  Deceased Donor Organ Donation: A person can donate multiple organ and tissues after (brain-stem/cardiac) death. His/her organcontinues to live in another person’s body..
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What is an organ?
An organ is a part of the body that performs a specific function: like your Heart, Lungs, Kidney, Liver etc.
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What is Tissue?
Tissue means a group of cells performing a particular function in the human body. Examples would be bone, skin, cornea of the eye, heart valve, blood vessels, nerves and tendon etc.
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What are the Organs that can be donated?
The organs that can be donatedare:
Liver, Kidney, Pancreas, Heart, Lung, Intestine.
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What are the tissues that can be donated?
The tissues that can be donated are:
Cornea, Bone, Skin, Heart Valve, blood vessels, nerves and tendon etc.
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One organ donor can save up to 8 lives and enhance the lives of many others through tissue donation.
How does whole body donation differ from organ donation?
Organ donation for therapeutic purposes is covered under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA 1994).Whole body donation is covered by the Anatomy Act 1984.
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Organ and Tissue donation is defined as the act of giving life to others after death by donating his/her organs to the needy suffering from end stage organ failure.
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Body donation is defined as the act of giving one’s body after death for medical research and education. Those donated cadavers remain a principal teaching tool for anatomists and medical educators teaching gross anatomy.
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Can a dead body be left for medical education or research after the organs have been retrieved for donation?
No, Bodies are not accepted for teaching purposes if organs have been donated or if there has been a post-mortem examination. However, if only the corneas are to be donated, a body can be left for research.
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Who can be a Donor?Donate Organs……………………..Save Lives
Living Donor: Any person not less than 18 years of age, who voluntarily authorizes the removal of any of his organ and/or tissue, during his or her lifetime, as per prevalent medical practices for therapeutic purposes.
Deceased Donor: Anyone, regardless of age, race or gender can become an organ and tissue donor after his or her Death (Brainstem/Cardiac). Consent of near relative or a person in lawful possession of the dead body is required. If the deceased donor is under the age of 18 years, then the consent required from one of the parent or any near relative authorized by the parents is essential. Medical suitability for donation is determined at the time of death.
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The people who have pledged for Organ donation in life, will they definitely become organ donors?
No, Only few people die in the circumstances where they are able to donate their organs. That is the reason we need people to take pledge for Organ Donation and registered them self as potential Donor.
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How can I be a Donor, What is the process to take donor pledge?
You can be a donor by expressing your wish in the authorized organ and tissue donation form (Form-7 As per THOA). You may pledge to donate your organs by signing up @ website https://notto.mohfw.gov.in/and register yourself as donor or for offline registration you may download Form 7 from the website.
Can I be an organ donor, if I have been rejected to donate blood?
Yes, The decision about whether some or all organs or tissue are suitable for transplant is always made by a specialist, taking into account your medical history. There may be specific reasons why it has not been possible to donate blood, such as having anemia or had a blood transfusion or had hepatitis in the past or there may be reasons why you could not donate blood because of your health at the time – sometimes a simple thing like a cold or medication that you are taking can prevent you from donating blood.
What is National Human Organs and Tissues Removal & Storage Network (NOTTO)?
The Central Government has established a National Human Organs and Tissues Removal & Storage Network named NOTTO, which stands for National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation. NOTTO will have five Regional Networks ROTTO (Regional Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization) and each Region of the country will develop SOTTO (State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation) in every State/ UT.
Each hospital of the country related to transplant activity, whether as retrieval or transplant, has to link with NOTTO, through ROTTO/SOTTO as a part of National Networking.
https://notto.mohfw.gov.in/
REGIONAL ORGAN AND TISSUE TRANSPLANT ORGANIZATION (ROTTO)
National Network division of NOTTO functions as apex centre for coordinating all activities and networking for procurement and distribution of organs and tissues and maintaining registry of organs and tissues donation and transplantation in the country.
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Name of ROTTO |
States covered |
|
Seth GS medical college and KEM Hospital, Mumbai (Maharashtra) |
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, UTs of DNH, Daman, Diu, M.P., Chhattisgarh |
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Govt. Multispecialty Hospital, Omnadurar, Chennai (Tamil Nadu) |
TN, Kerala, Telangana, Seem Andhra, Karnataka, Pondicherry, A & N Islands, Lakshadweep |
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Institute of PG Medical Education and Research, Kolkata (West Bengal) |
West Bengal, Jharkhand,Sikkim, Bihar and Orissa |
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PGIMER Chandigarh(UT of Chandigarh) |
Punjab, Haryana, HP, J &K , Chandigarh , Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand |
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Guwahati Medical College (Assam) |
Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura. |
What is NOTTO Organ Donor Register?
The NOTTO Organ Donor Register is a computerized database which records the wishes of people who have pledged for organ and tissue donation and decided that, after their death, they want to leave a legacy of life for others. There are many hospitals and organizations those are also maintaining the list of persons who have pledged organ donation with them, will be passed to NOTTO website for National Register.
Who can join the NOTTO Organ Donor Register?
Everyone irrespective of age or health can join the NOTTO Organ Donor Register. Joining the Register expresses a wish to help others by donating organs or tissues after death but importantly, joining the Register also is a way to give legal consent or authorization for donation to take place.
Do I need to carry my donor card always?
Yes, it will be helpful for the health professionals and your family.
Do I need to register my pledge with more than one Organisation?
No, if you have already pledged with one Organisation & received a Donor Card, you need not register with any other organisation.
What is the benefit to my family or me after donation of organs?
Donation of an organ or tissue provides an unparalleled opportunity to give someone a second chance of life. Your donation is not only giving impact to the life of one person or family, but it is of overall help for the society as a whole.
How many patients need organ transplant in India on an average?Situation of shortage of organs in India:
There is a wide gap between patients who need transplants and the organs that are available in India. An estimated around 1.8 lakh persons suffer from renal failure every year, however the number of renal transplants done is around 6000 only. An estimated 2 lakh patients die of liver failure or liver cancer annually in India, about 10-15% of which can be saved with a timely liver transplant. Hence about 25-30 thousand liver transplants are needed annually in India but only about one thousand five hundred are being performed. Similarly about 50000 persons suffer from Heart failures annually but only about 10 to 15 heart transplants are performed every year in India. In case of Cornea, about 25000 transplants are done every year against a requirement of 1 lakh.There are only 250 hospitals that have registered with India’s National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), which coordinates the country’s organ transplant program. That’s one fully-equipped hospital for every 4.3 million citizens.
The shortage of organs is virtually a universal problem but Asia lags behind much of the rest of the world. India lags far behind other countries even in Asia. It is not that there aren’t enough organs to transplant. Nearly every person who dies naturally, or in an accident, is a potential donor. Even then, innumerable patients cannot find a donor.
In India there is a growing need of Organ and tissue transplant due to large number of organ failure. As there is no organized data available for the required organs, the numbers is only estimates. Every year, following number of persons needs organ/tissue transplant as per organ specified:
|
Kidney |
2,50,000 |
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Liver |
80,000 |
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Heart |
50,000 |
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Cornea |
1,00,000 |
How can I help in increasing organ donation?
You can help by:
a) Becoming a donor, and talking to your family about your decision of saving lives of others.
b) Promoting donation by motivating people at work place, in your community, at your place of worship, and in your civic organizations.
Is it right to remove a healthy organ from a living person and give it to another?
Organ transplantation is undertaken only as a lifesaving treatment. It is best for the transplant team to decide whether to go ahead with a live organ donation, keeping in mind the two issues of doing no harm to the donor, and doing good for the recipient. Only the transplant team can decide whether the benefit to the patient is worth the risk faced by the donor. The transplant team takes into account the mortality and morbidity of the donor, though this can’t be accurately predicted.
o Please be an Organ Donor……and let the life continue / Gift of Life…..Pass it on
o Do not live only for yourself – Pledge to donate your Organs and Tissues today
o Give The Gift Of Life …………….Enjoy The Art Of Giving
o Make Sure Your Wish To Donate Organs Is Known To Your Family And Friends
o We Burn or Bury….Why not donate? Why destroy gift of life…Donate it
o After Brain death, anyone can give organs/tissues to anyone
o Organ donation is the way to continue to live forever
o Don’t take your organs to heaven with you. Heaven knows we need them here
o Pledge to donate……give them a hope
o All major religions support organ and tissue donation