Recently, the Union Health Ministry for the first time has come out with Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for transporting organs seamless transport of human organs through various modes of travel such as air, road, railways and waterways.
- The transport protocols aim to ensure the expeditious movement of life-saving organs from the point of harvest to their destination through effective use of available infrastructure.
About Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) For Transporting Organs
The SOPs issued by the government will serve as a guiding document for those involved in organ transplants across the country.
- Territory Provision: The instructions made it clear that human organs for transplant would be transported only within the territory of India and no organ shall be transported outside the country.
- Also, no human organ for transplant shall be allowed to be transported from outside the territory of India.
- Appropriate Screening: While transporting the organs by air (commercial/non-commercial aircraft/helicopter/ air ambulance etc., except drones), the Health Ministry recommended that the box containing the organ should be screened without opening it but passengers carrying it shall not be exempted from pre-embarkation security checks.
- Priority Reservation: Staff carrying/accompanying the organ box should be given priority in deboarding for which an in-flight announcement could be made by the Pilot-in-Command.
- Seating in front row seats, priority reservation, and provision for late check-ins for organ transport may be facilitated by the airline concerned.
- Responsibility: It would be the responsibility of the airport officials to define a green path (free from obstruction) and a trolley for the organ box from the ambulance to the aircraft at the point of origin and from the aircraft to an ambulance at the destination.
- When organs are transported by road, a green corridor may be provided on the request of the concerned authorities/agencies.
- One Trigger System: It is a request from the organ allocation authority (National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation NOTTO or the regional/state authorities, ROTTO/SOTTO), as the case may be to initiate the process of organ transport by creating a green corridor.
- It may be considered to help minimise the concerns around internal security as the request would be obtained from a credible source.
- Appointment of Nodal Officer: A nodal officer from the police department may be appointed to handle issues related to the creation of green corridors in each State/city.
- He/she may help sort out issues related to jurisdiction, approvals, security concerns, etc. during the creation of the green corridor.
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About National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (NOTTO)
It is a National level apex organization set up under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Objective: It functions as the apex center for all India activities of coordination and networking for procurement and distribution of organs and tissues and registry of organs and tissues donation and transplantation in the country.
- Two Divisions: It has following two divisions:
- National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network
- National Biomaterial Centre
- Mandate:
- To establish a network for organ procurement and distribution.
- To maintain a national registry on organ donation and transplantation.
About Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994
The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, allows harvesting of organs from living donors or brain-dead patients with the consent of family members.
- Such organs are transported from one hospital to another, sometimes far away, by air or road depending on the location of eligible recipients registered with their respective transplant authorities.
About Green Corridor
It is a special route making the route of the hospital where an organ is harvested and the hospital where it is to be transplanted, traffic-free. It is a manually operated route.
- Significance: In the green corridor system, green corridor ambulances collaborate with the traffic department to transport a vital organ in less than 60-70% of the time that is usually taken to go from place A to place B.
- Chennai was the first city to incorporate this concept.
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August 7, 2024
