New Delhi: “Organ donation needs to become a way of life for us so that we can give a new lease of life to those suffering from organ failure.” This was stated by Ms. L S. Changsan, Addl. Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
She made the comments during inaugural of the Chintan-Shivir on “Reforms required for augmentation of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in terms of Technology, Processes and Legislation in India” held recently in New Delhi.
Prof. (Dr.) Atul Goel, Director General Health Services (DGHS), Dr. Anil Kumar, Director, National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Ms. Vandana Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were among the dignitaries present at the occasion.
In her inaugural address, Changsan said that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has highlighted the importance of organ donation in his Mann Ki Baat programme and emphasized on the fact that one person donating organs after death can give a new lease of life to up to eight patients suffering from various organ failures.” She stressed on the need to promote organ donation from the deceased persons to meet the huge need for organ donation in the country.
Dr Atul Goel, Director General Health Services (DGHS) said that “NOTTO has taken the lead in the field of organ and tissue transplant in India. The Chintan Shivir provides an opportunity for introspection to put systems in place”. He added that “In our nation we have had a tradition of giving i.e. altruism. While we have live donations, we need to encourage deceased donations as much as possible both in government and private hospitals”.
The two-day Chintan Shivir will cover ten important themes concerning organ donation and transplantation and various sub-themes.
- To discuss the reforms required for augmenting organ and tissue donation & transplantation.
- To explore and discuss advancements in technology that can improve organ donation and allocation processes.
- To propose recommendations for legislative reforms in order to strengthen the existing legal framework related to organ donation and transplantation.
- To provide an enabling environment for organ donation and allocation by ameliorating existing technologies involved in the process.
