The medical management and process of organ donation in Tamil Nadu

 

The fears and stigma surrounding organ donation have resulted in fluctuations in the number of people pledging organ donations over the years in Tamil Nadu

 

 

 

The pledging of organ donation and the medico-legal procedures of organ donation in every state in Tamil Nadu is under the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN). TRANSTAN streamlines procedures in hospitals to identify brain stem death and ensures organs to the needy. It maintains an online waitlist registry of the same. 

The liaising of police, neighboring states, and the government in providing a green corridor ( making the route of the hospital where an organ is harvested and the hospital where it is to be transplanted traffic-free) for transporting organs thereby compiling a state and regional database are some of the functions of TRANSTAN .

The joint director at TRANSTAN, Dr. Kanthimathy explains the functionaries of TRANSTAN that are the gateways for organ donation in Tamil Nadu. “There are 89 licensed hospitals and more than 1000 registered doctors with TRANSTAN, we maintain a district-based registry on the need and supply of organs, that is communicated to the TRANSTAN need-based,” she said.

Tamil Nadu has the highest number of hospitals in the country with different organ transplant teams licensed for organ and tissue transplantation. 78 Hospitals in Tamil Nadu registered with National Organ Tissue and Transplant Organization (NOTTO) in the year 2018. (TNOS)Tamil Nadu Organ Sharing Registry is maintained by MOHAN FOUNDATION NGO and is supported by TRANSTAN. The registry is updated adding the waiting list that regulates the process of organ allocation.

The TRANSTAN statistics show the donor supply and donation details from 2008 until 2022. And the number of recipients in 2016 shows the highest which is 1018. Looking through the years  TRANSTAN  analysed fluctuations in data. There were no donations in 2008 in the government hospitals. “We have tried to incorporate various measures over years to promote donations in government hospitals,” Member secretary of TRANSTAN, Dr. Rambha said. 

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According to TRANSTAN, there were only 51 donations from government hospitals in Tamil Nadu in 2022. “We are looking into new methods of promoting awareness of organ donation in different zones in districts. We see a problem in auditing and awareness campaigns, but the data shows progress. It is not one medical condition we are dealing with, it's an entire management system, so it is complex to handle” Dr. Rambha said.

The financial assistance for any transplant to needy people through the chief minister’s comprehensive health Scheme is up to 22 lakhs. Dr. Rambha explains the functionaries as a spread-out subset of systems available in every hospital. “One can ask or will be advised to a pledge for organ donation in hospitals, we guide them through the procedure and financial assistance to the donor and recipient”, she said. 

TRANSTAN conducts organ donation awareness programs to dismantle myths associated with organ donation in government and private hospitals. The recent campaign was conducted by Stanley Alumni Association at Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai in January 2023.

“Every year, we lose patients to end-stage organ failure due to the non-availability of organs and tissues. We must dispel fears associating with organ and tissue donations in society," Dr. Rambha said. 

The organ donation and entire procedure are expensive.” It is teamwork among multiple departments- donor families, coordinators, physicians, transplant teams, support staff, forensic department, blood bank, laboratory department, and police as it takes an entire sequence of events for successful transplantation”, she said. 

Organ retrieval banking organisation maintains a website and e-book in which stories of donors and families are updated regularly to promote and create a better understanding of the need for organ donations.

The standard practice includes that the physicians direct the recipient to a transplant coordinator before meeting with the families of potential donors. Transplant coordinator at TRANSTAN, Jayasesh said counseling about organ donation is an essential step. “Screening for potential organ donors in intensive care units and professional counseling are key components needed to promote deceased donations," he said. 

// EDIT COMMENTS//

Comments:

It’s a good story, and I think there is potential to do more on this subject. There are all kinds of issues required for different medical procedures, illnesses, etc. 

That said, work on making your writing more clear. For example, when you said “promote deceased donations”, it doesn’t make sense. Here and there such odd phrases appear. Also, look up the meanings of some of the words you use.