Organ donation policy for Gujarat soon, says CM

VADODARA: Chief minister Anandiben Patel on Thursday announced framing of a policy for organ donation and setting up Transplant University in the state. While the policy will aim to mobilize cadaver donations across Gujarat and facilitate more transplantations, the university will be set up expanding the existing infrastructure and technical know how of Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center (IKDRC) in Ahmedabad.“I have asked the health department to frame an outline of policy and submit it to me within 15 to 20 days,” Patel said after inaugurating the Vibrant VCCI Exhibition 2014 at Navlakhi Grounds. The chief minister said that the policy would help in making organ donation easier.
Sources in health department said that the policy will aim to strengthen the network of volunteers across hospitals to raise awareness and hence mobilize organ donation by kin of accident victims who become brain dead. The thrust would be more on cadaver donation than live donation. More importantly, the process of sanctioning transplantation would be streamlined as it has come to the government’s notice that many organ donations are caught in red-tape as the permission channels are narrow.
“More private hospitals would be strengthened with know how of facilitating organ harvesting to over all boost the organ donation and transplantation rate in Gujarat”, said an official. Patel said that the government also plans to set up a Transplant University in the state. “There is little awareness about organ transplantation. When accidents happen, body organs get damaged but they can be reconstructed. Livers can be stored and kidneys too are transplanted. So we have decided to set up a Transplant University in the state. We will bring a bill for the same by March next year,” Patel said.
Top officials said that the University for Transplantation and Allied Sciences would be build at the IKDRC which is already doing pioneering work in kidney and liver transplant and use of stem cell in different transplantation. “The university status will open up a world of advance education, research and treatment in the field of organ transplant. We will be able to design our own curriculum. While the thrust would be advances in kidney, liver transplant, we would eventually want to transplant heart, hand, legs and all organs which can be harvested from a cadaver in the future”, said director of IKDRC Dr HL Trivedi.
Taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachhta Abhiyan forward, Patel also announced setting up of Public Health University. “Efforts are made to cure diseases but we should also focus on preventing them and maintaining good public health,” Patel said.She added that Gujarat has good medical facilities and is a hub for medical tourism. Dr Nitin Popat, whose club in Porbandar, is active in eye collection, said there is an urgent need to bring all eye collection centers as well as eye banks on a common platform. “The policy should also frame a common mechanism where we can know the exact requirement of eyes at a particular place.”