Twitter
Advertisement

Maharashtra fails to implement Centre's cadaver donation programme

The first nationwide meeting under this programme will be held in Chennai in the last week of June.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The state government has failed to implement a Union health ministry programme aimed at boosting cadaver donations across the country. Maharashtra is the only appointed Indian state that is yet to set up a centre for the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (Notto), which is an ambitious project of the central government.

The first nationwide meeting under this programme will be held in Chennai in the last week of June.

The health ministry had set up Notto to curtail the list of recipients who are waiting for a long time to find a suitable organ donor. Through this programme, the ministry also wants to introduce standard guidelines that are to be followed for organ donations across the state.

The setting up of Notto is expected to help a number of poor patients who are in need of a transplant, since they will be able to get a certain amount of money from the government under the scheme.

Under Notto, the health ministry set up five Regional Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisations (Rottos) across the country. Maharashtra was one of the states that got sanction for setting up a Rotto, at KEM hospital.

Also, through Rotto, transplant co-ordinators can be provided in every hospital to help those in need.

The role of a Rotto centre — one of which is to be built in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Diu, Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli each — includes monitoring of transplant activities.

The health ministry scheduled the Notto meeting in Chennai to find out what outcomes were reached and what problems were faced during the past one year. But the Maharashtra government has not set up a centre in the state due to non-availability of funds, after the money that was to be released by the ministry last year lapsed due to technical reasons.

Dr Gauri Rathod, assistant director, department of human organ transplant, said: "We are going to this meeting in Chennai, where we will discuss with Notto officials the issue about releasing funds for setting up a Rotto. Our department is working on this subject and corresponding with the health ministry to get the funds released as early as possible."

Over past one year, the health ministry appointed Maharashtra for setting up a ROTTO centre at KEM hospital. According to sources, in the last few months, the state government and KEM hospital have been following up on this issue with the union government, but the money promised was not released due to technical reasons.

State health department sources said the central government had given Rs50 lakh to the state's nursing department, which failed to submit a certificate showing utilisation of these funds to the Union health ministry.

The state health department was then told that till the time it doesn't submit the utilisation certificate, the money sanctioned to set up the Rotto centre would not be released.

"We are hoping that this year the government will sanction the money for setting up the Rotto centre," said Dr Sujata Patwardhan, urologist, KEM hospital, who is supposed to handle the Rotto centre.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement