Centre to launch National Organ Transplant Programme

Chennai, Nov 15 (UNI) The Union government would launch a National Organ Transplant Programme with an outlay of Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,400 crore to popularise organ donation in the next few months.

Speaking at a function to felicitate Organ donor families at the Durbar Hall of a Bhavan here, Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said a bill in this regard would be tabled in the next session of the Parliament.

The programme would be launched in the next three to four months time, he said and added that the Health Ministry would also bring in changes to the Organ Transplantation Act to make organ donation effective.

He said about three to five lakh organs and one lakh eyes need to be transplanted to affected people every year.

'But we could transplant only 5,000 human organs successfully every year which is not sufficient,' he said and added that Organ Transplantation Centres would be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore at national, State and regional levels to make infrastructure accessible for organ donation.

He said with a view to preventing misuse of donated organs, a national online register would be set up to make organ transplant more transparent.

Hailing the efforts taken by the family members who decided to donate organs of their kith and kin, he said steps would be taken to give free second class rail tickets and also to provide life-long health insurance service to the donors.

Minister of State for Railways R Velu, Tamil Nadu Health Minister M R K Panneerselvam, Central and State Health Secretaries were also present at the function.

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