Karnataka to set up committee to boost deceased donor organ transplants

To strengthen Karnataka’s organ transplantation programme and increase deceased donor transplants, the State Health Department will constitute an Organ Transplant Visionary Committee under Nagesh Hegde, who heads the State-run Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant (IGOT), Health Minister U.T. Khader said on Thursday.

Mr. Khader said the decision was taken at a progress review meeting with the State Organ Transplant Advisory Committee, which he chaired.

The proposed committee will recommend measures to raise public awareness about organ donation and improve access to transplantation, with a focus on strengthening infrastructure and streamlining procedures across the State, he said.

Brain death certification

One of the key priorities would be to facilitate brain death certification and organ retrieval at all district hospitals and government medical colleges. The committee would also recommend measures to expand organ transplant facilities in government hospitals, Mr. Khader said.

“Most hospitals do not want to obtain licences for organ retrieval due to the long process of paperwork. To avoid this, we are proposing that all hospitals with 50–100 beds capacity should automatically become organ retrieval centres. If they do not wish to, they can apply to get it cancelled,” he said.

The early launch of a new software system for organ allocation and tracking would be another priority, aimed at improving the efficiency of the process. The government would also focus on renewing registrations of transplant centres whose approvals had lapsed, he said.

Waitlist

Mr. Khader said 6,291 patients were awaiting organ transplants in Karnataka and stressed the need to encourage more people to pledge their organs. One deceased donor could help save multiple lives, he said.

The Minister urged the public to pledge their organs through the Jeevasarthakathe portal at https://jeevasarthakathe.karnataka.gov.in.

He said the proposed measures were intended to strengthen the State’s organ donation network, expand transplant services in government hospitals and improve access to life-saving organs for patients on the waiting list.