Context: For the first time, Kerala organizes Transplant Games, a competitive sporting event for organ transplant recipients and donors.

Kerala to Host Transplant Games

• Aim: Transplant Games aims to honor organ donors and their families to raise the morale and confidence of organ recipients.
• Awareness: It will help to raise awareness about organ transplantation and foster a culture of organ donation.
• Building Community: The occasion helps Transplant recipients and donors to  bond, connect and build a community.
• Success of Organ Transplantation: It is to showcase the success of organ transplantation in improving the quality of life and spreading the message that  people who have undergone organ transplant surgeries can lead normal lives.
• The concept of Transplant Games, the importance of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle in transplant recipients’ long-term management and well-being is well established.

Organ Transplantation in India:

• Increase in Organ Transplants: The number of organ transplants has increased by over three times from 4,990 in 2013 to 15,561 in 2022.
• Live Donors outnumber deceased donors:  Of the 15,561 transplants, a majority of 12,791 (82%) are from live donors and 2,765 (18%) are from cadavers (Corpses).
• Kidney transplantation Topped: Up to 11,423 of the 15,561 organ transplants are for the kidney, followed by liver (766), heart (250), lung (138), pancreas (24), and small bowel transplants.
• Removes Age Limit for Organ Recipients: The upper age limit of 65 years for eligibility for registration to receive deceased donor organs has been removed. 
  • Now, a person of any age can register to receive a deceased donor organ. 

• Domicile Requirement Abolished:
  • Earlier, the organ allocation policy of states required needy patients to have a domicile in that particular state to be registered as recipients on that state’s waitlist. Abolish Registration Charge:  Certain states asked for anything between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 to register a patient on the organ recipient waitlist) (such as Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Kerala). 

National Policy for Organ Transplantation:

• Currently, different states have different rules; the Union government is considering changes to the rules so that there is a standard criteria followed in all states across the country
• The Centre also plans to change the rules of the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011 towards creating a national policy for transplantation.

Source: The Hindu