Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has decided to enforce strict norms for ensuring transparency and accountability in organ transplantation activities in the state. Additional chief secretary (health) Rajeev Sadanandan told DC steps were being taken to bring transparency in the system. As per the existing rules a team of four doctors is responsible for issuing the brain death certification. The government has decided to accept expert panel recommendation that of four doctors two should be from outside the hospital in which the procedure is being carried out.
And of the two doctors one should be from the government service. Once the rules are framed the condition would be mandatory for all institutions carrying out organ transplant surgeries. The additional chief secretary said the second condition was regarding video graphing of the steps that are carried out for declaring a patient “brain dead”. “These conditions will come into force soon,” he said. It may be recalled that the government had earlier constituted a high level expert panel to evaluate the rates of various complicated surgical procedures including organ transplant.
The high level group was mandated to study the existing rates being charged for various procedures in the government and private sector. It had asked the hospitals to submit details of surgeries and rates being charged. The panel is conducting a detailed exercise to standardise the cost of surgical procedures in the wake of complaints that hospitals especially those in the private sector were charging exorbitant rates for surgeries. The expert panel had looked into the rates for kidney transplantation from both live and brain dead donors, existing facilities in these hospitals.
Besides, the rates of liver transplantation, procedures like in vitro fertilisation, cardiac procedures including angioplasty and stenting were also being examined. “We have directed all hospitals in the public and private sector to provide the base rates for each transplant and surgical procedure. These steps are being taken to bring in transparency and accountability in the entire organ transplantation set up,” said a doctor. With organ transplantation become widely acceptable in the state strict norms were required to ensure transparency.
