Thiruvananthapuram: The state government is toying with the idea of setting up an organ transplant society on the lines of Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu.
According to sources, the proposal which is before the government had gained significance in view of organ donation and transplantation gaining wider acceptability in the state. Experts said an independent society is required for effective coordination and implementation of the Human Organs Act (THO) and rules in the state at this stage.
At present, Mrithasanjeevani-Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS) is coordinating with government and private hospitals to carry out organ transplant activities. Since the status of KNOS is only that of a project, experts want this system to be institutionalised and empowered with regulatory authority.
The Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TANSAT) is effectively coordinating and implementing transplant activities in that state. No less than a person like Prof Russel Walker Strong, who carried out world's first partial liver transplant from a live donor 26 years ago in Australia, had lauded Tamil Nadu for “showing the way for the future of organ transplant in the country”.
The TANSAT has ensured collective effort from the government and private health care institutions and police. They have enforced "green corridors" to remove obstacles during the transportation of harvested organs.
Such an institutionalised mechanism is required in the state to focus on protocol, research, data analysis and outcome monitoring. There is also a need for formulating strict procedures and regulatory framework for all organ transplantation within the framework of THO and rules.
Though the organ transplant scenario in the state is not dismal, there is a lot to be done on the front. At the moment, 1,353 patients are on the waiting list for transplantation of various organs including heart in the state.
