Brain death panel not ok, organ donation on hold

The column on driving licence indicating the holder’s will to donate organs in the event of a fatal accident will have to wait.

The reason: the state government declined permission to form brain death committee for hospitals.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had come up with a proposal to include the option of organ donation in driving licences. On May 15, ex-mayor Shubha Raul had mooted the proposal in the civic general body meeting.

Incidentally, no civic hospital has a sanction of brain dead organ donation in the absence of a brain death committee.

According to the civic administration, the BMC had sent a proposal to the directorate of health services of the state government, asking for the registration of a brain death committee for KB Bhabha Hospital (Bandra), Rajawadi Hospital (Ghatkopar), Cooper Hospital (Juhu) and Bhagvati Hospital (Borivli).

Ashishkumar Singh, additional municipal commissioner, said: “For the committee, the BMC has already created posts of four honorary neuro-physicians, four honorary neuro-surgeons, three honorary surgeons, one medical officer and two social development officers. The process of filling these posts is going on. We hope the state government will allow us to set up the committee soon.”

Raul said: “In the past five years, not a single organ donation has taken place in civic hospitals due to lack of registration of the brain death committee. At least 10% of the accident victims are declared brain dead. Their organs can be transplanted to needy patients.”