Why in News?

• Maharashtra has recently surpassed Tamil Nadu and Telangana and became the top performer in the field of organ donation.

About:

• The Ministry of Health and Family welfare has established
• National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) at National level, State Organ
• Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) in States and Regional Organ and
• Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) at regional level.
• NOTTO functions as apex centre for coordinating all activities and networking for procurement and distribution of organs and tissues and maintaining registry of organs and tissues donation and transplantation in the country.
• Sensitisation drives and the meticulous efforts of Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation – State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO-SOTTO) along with four Zonal Transplant Coordination Centres (ZTCCs) are important contributing factors behind this achievement.

About Organ Donation:

• It means giving part of the body (organ) to a person with end stage organ disease who needs a transplant.
• The organs that can be donated for transplantation include kidney, liver, heart, lungs, and small bowel and tissues such as corneas, heart valves, skin and bone.

There are two types of Organ Donation:

• A person during his life can donate one kidney, a portion of pancreas and a part of the liver are called Living Donor Organ Donation.
• A person can donate multiple organs and tissues after (brain-stem/cardiac) death are called Deceased Donor Organ Donation.

Legal Framework for Organ Donation:

• Organ Transplantation and Donation is permitted both by law and covered under the “Transplantation of Human Organs Act 1994”, which has allowed organ donation by live & Brain-stem Dead donors.
• According to the amendment of the Act which also brought in donation of human tissues, thereby calling it as “Transplantation of Human Organs & Tissues Act 2011”.
• The Government of India has also started a National Organ and Transplant Program (NOTP).
• Under NOTP, which patients below the poverty line are supported for the cost of transplant as well as cost of immunosuppression after transplant for one year.