Organ harvesting regulations simplified - U T Khadar

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 05, 2014:  Speaking to reporters on September 4, Khader Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said that earlier the power of permitting transplantation of organs solely wrested in the zonal committee of the State health department which used to be an obstacle for the process.

The zonal committee was convening meetings once in a while and the hospitals that were ready for transplantation had to wait for long time to obtain permission. But, in last six months, four private hospitals, namely, BGS Global Hospital, Manipal Hospital, Columbia Asia Hospital and Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bangalore have been given permission to form committees in the respective hospitals.

The hospital committees comprises of a representative from the health department and a retired judge. These committees have been entrusted with the responsibility to convene meetings and give green signal for organ transplantation as and when the need arises.

These hospitals conduct 25 transplantations on an average in a year. However, permission to form the committee is given only if the hospitals that meet the required norms, he said.

The minister asked more number of hospitals to apply seeking permission to form the committee, but he reiterated that permission will be given only if they follow all the guidelines.

Lauding the inter-state heart transplantation, he said it was the result of the medical science and technology going hand in hand.