foreign returned MBBS students not to be admitted in PG in State quota

Non-transplant organ retrieval centres to boost organ donation

 ZTCC fails to spread awareness even among doctors

By Vikas Vaidya

After around a year of formation, Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) has failed to create awareness among doctors. In Nagpur, there are at least five cases in every hospital where one may find five patients who are brain-dead. But the counseling of their relatives is not being done for the donation of their organs.
After the sad demise of Vilasrao Deshmukh, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, State government took decisions regarding organ donation. Unfortunately its implementation has not done properly.
The Government of Maharashtra has recently issued directions for boosting cadaver organ donation in the State. Organ transplant in the country is governed by Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994 (amendments in 2011). Government has made it clear that registering hospitals which are not conducting organ transplant, but can help in providing organs of brain dead persons. These hospitals will be known as Non Transplant Organ Retrieval Centres (NTROC). There is a huge shortage of life saving organs in the country. Taking a cue from Tamilnadu, Government of Maharashtra took the decision to increase the availability of organs.
It has now been made mandatory for all Transplant and Non-transplant hospitals to report brain dead cases to the ZTCC- Nagpur. Non-transplant hospitals with ICU and Operation theatre shall have to register as NTORC with the State Appropriate Authority Directorate of Health Services, Mumbai. These hospitals will be permitted to certify brain death as per the stipulated procedures and thereafter undertake organ retrieval, if the deceased family consent is obtained as per regulations. Organ allocation will be carried by the ZTCC following the prioritization norms as established by the State Appropriate Authority.
The Additional Chief Secretary, Govt of Maharashtra (Public Health Department) T C Benjamin recently met the members of ZTCC Nagpur and representatives of Hospitals registered for Transplant of organs at Nagpur and Wardha. He stressed on the need to take all steps to initiate cadaver organ donation program in the city at the earliest to meet the huge demand of life saving organs. He had asked the ZTCC to register maximum numbers of NTORC in the city. Some of the ZTCC members have come forward and appealed the concerned people to get further details from - Dr. Ravi Wankhede: 09423683350/Dr. Charulata Bawankule: 9823130707/Dr. Sudhir Gupta: 9422824729/Dr. Viresh Gupta:9822228016.


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State govt is taking measures
The Department of Health and Family Welfare has proposed to constitute an advisory committee to assist and monitor various duties of the appropriate authority which verifies the donor and recipient’s details before an organ transplant. They have also planned to maintain records in standard format. The state now intends to send the hospitals monthly reminders of their responsiblities, and to pressure them into complying by cancelling their licences to perform organ transplants.