As per Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (as amended) and Rules thereunder, the Central Government has been given the mandate to maintain National registry of donors and recipients of human organs and tissues.
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) has been set up to maintain this registry based on the information received from the transplant/retrieval hospitals and other related organizations.
As per data available with NOTTO in respect of cadaver donations, the number of persons who donated organs during 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 (up to 31st October) are 313, 411, 579 and 592, respectively.
There is a huge gap between the number of patients who need organ transplants and the number of organs that are available. The details of such cases are, however, not maintained centrally.
Heath is a State subject. Complaints regarding wastage of organ have, as such, not been brought to the notice of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. However, it is a fact that all harvestable organs cannot be retrieved and used owing to lack of awareness and inadequacy of capacity.
The Government has taken a series of steps to promote organ donation especially in case of brain stem death and also to augment capacity for organ retrieval and transplantation in the country.
NOTTO is working along with a large number of Non-Governmental Organizations to spread awareness about organ donation, their retrieval and transplantation.
Efforts are also being made to utilize the good offices of industry and trade associations for spreading awareness about it. All of them including those working in Karnataka, have indicated their willingness to spread the message.
