Lok Sabha Question No. 903 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-26
Subject: Organ Transplantation Programme
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Manickam Tagore B

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 903 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26TH JULY, 2024

## ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION PROGRAMME

## 903. SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether data of living and deceased donors essential to monitor the implementation of the organ transplantation programme and prevent commercial dealing in organs are not compiled by some States and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether any advisory is necessitated on allegations of organs taken from brain-dead patients being transplanted on foreign nationals, overlooking deserving Indian patients on the waitlist and if so ,the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has asked all States and Union Territories to maintain data of organ donors and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
- (d) whether all licensed or registered transplant hospitals are linked up with the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation in the country and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL)

- (a) The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994 (as amended in 2011) has given the mandate to Central Government to maintain a national registry of living and deceased donors and recipients and in this regard a digital registry is functional and maintained by National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization.

States/UTs have been requested to ensure that every hospital performing organ transplantation or retrieval needs to be linked to the website of National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) and data related to both deceased and living donors and recipients of transplants is required to be uploaded in the National Registry maintained by NOTTO. On entry of the data by the concerned Hospitals in the aforesaid Registry, each donor and recipient of human organ is given a unique NOTTO ID in cases of both deceased as well as living donor transplants.

(b) As per the Rule 31(4)(e) of Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules, 2014, prescribed under THOTA, 1994, the sequence of allocation of organs shall be in following order: State list----Regional List-----National List---- Person of Indian Origin ----Foreigner. Thus, in line with the aforesaid Rule, only in case when no Indian or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) recipient is available in the whole country, organs taken from brain-dead patients are considered for allocation to foreign nationals, registered in the National Registry for transplantation in India. The State Appropriate Authority as provided under the THOTA, 1994 is empowered to investigate any complaint, or breach of any of the provisions of this Act or any of the rules thereunder.

(c) The Government has asked all the States and UTs to maintain data of organ donors. Letters have been issued in this regard from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

(d) The Appropriate Authority appointed by the State Government grants license / registration or renewal of registration to hospitals for organ transplantation or retrieval and maintains the updated status in this regard. States have been requested to ensure that every hospital performing organ transplantation or retrieval needs to be linked to the NOTTO. A total of 814 hospitals (including Organ Transplant Centres and Non Transplant Organ Retrieval Centres) have been registered with NOTTO as on 22.07.2024.

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