Now, no age bar to register for cadaver organ transplants

Source: The post is based on the article “Now, no age bar to register for cadaver organ transplants” published in The Hindu on 17th February 2023

What is the News?

The Union Health Ministry has revised several guidelines related to organ donation.

Note: National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization(NOTTO), the country’s apex organ donation agency has framed these guidelines in consultation with state governments.

What is Organ Donation?

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About Organ Transplantation in India

India conducts the third-highest number of organ transplants in the world. 

The total number of organ transplants – with organs from both deceased and living donors – increased from 4,990 in 2013 to 15,561 in 2022.

Organs from deceased donors accounted for nearly 17.8% of all transplants in 2022 in the country.

The challenges for organ donation include poor awareness among doctors, patients and police, religious sensitivities and lack of medical infrastructure.

What are the changes brought in organ transplantation policy?

Upper age limit for registration has been removed: The new guidelines have done away with the 65-year age limit for registration of patients seeking organs from a deceased donor.

– Note: Earlier, there was no age cap for living donor transplants (where family members donate organs like kidneys and livers), people over the age of 65 years. But they couldn’t register to receive organs from deceased donors. This requirement has been done away with.

No domicile requirement: The Government has asked states to remove the domicile criterion for registering those seeking organs from deceased donors for transplant procedures.

Now the needy person can go to any state of the country and register for getting organ and also get the transplant done.

No registration fee required: States have been asked not to charge recipients for registration on waiting lists for organs. States such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat and Telangana charge between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 to register recipients for organ donation.