IMA moots changes to Organ Transplantation Laws

KOCHI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) will propose amendments to the Centre to relax the existing law on organ transplantation. At a national seminar held here last week, the IMA authorities reached a consensus that amendments in the current law is a must as many people in the state are losing lives owing to lack of organ availability.According to the existing law, organs can be transplanted only from the relatives of the patient. The law was enacted at a time when organ transplantation was getting commercialised and people were doing it for money.To curb this, a provision was made in the law that the transplantation could be done only from the relatives and kin of the needy. But now owing to lesser availability of organs, the law requires some amendments. The transplantation can be done only after getting the approval of the medical practitioners' scrutinising committee. So most of the people reluctant to donate organs as they have to go through several procedural hurdles," Kerala Medical Association president Dr D Vijaykumar said.
According Dr S Sachidananda Kamath, president, IMA Kochi, the number of people dying owing to lack of organ availability is worse in Kerala. "In Kerala, the people are less willing to donate organs. Owing to this, thousands of people are dying in Kerala every year. Most of the people have to go to Tamil Nadu as organs are easily available there. But owing to the high cost there, the poor finds it difficult to get organs from there. So the time has come to relax the law in this regard," Dr Kamath said. An official of the Society For Organ Retrieval and Transplantation said transplantation units are few in Kerala. There are only less than 10 units functioning in the state. The government should set up more units so that transplantation can be frequently done. According to Vijaykumar, the proposed amendments will be discussed at the IMA central committee meeting. Later it will be submitted to the Centre for consideration.