Center advises states to increase organ donation, monitor brain stem death cases

The Center has advised states to increase organ donation rates. The Center asked states to monitor cases of brain stem deaths in ICU patients. The Center said that due to their poor identification and certification, the organ donation rate in the country is at a low level. The sole objective of the advisory is to increase the organ donation rate in the country, which is less than one donor per million population.

Dr. Anil Kumar, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), said in a letter to the states that the organ donation rate in India continues to be low. The main reason for this is poor identification and validation of brain stem death (BSD) cases. Under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, it is necessary to identify cases of possible brain stem death in the ICU. Apart from this, the letter said that it was important to check whether he had taken the pledge of organ donation. If not, then make the family members aware of organ donation under the law.

In the letter, Kumar said that display boards of necessary requests should also be installed in front of the ICU, emergency ward as well as other important wards. In the letter, he said that I want your cooperation and support to increase the organ donation rate in the country so that self-reliance can be achieved in the field of deceased organ donation.

Brain death or brain dead is another term for it that is frequently used. The portion of the brain below the spinal cord is called the brain stem. The patient's body and eye pupils stop working when they get BSD. The organs, including the heart, are still alive, though.