Centre urges states to monitor brain death cases in ICUs to improve organ donation rate

New Delhi: The Centre has directed states to keep a vigilant eye on brain stem death occurrences in ICU wards, highlighting that inadequate recognition and certification of such incidents are contributing to the nation’s low organ donation figures.

This guidance to the states seeks to boost the organ donation frequency in India, which currently stands at less than one donor per million people.

“The organ donation rate in India remains suboptimal (under one donor per million population annually). A significant hurdle in this regard is the insufficient identification and certification of brain stem death (BSD) instances, despite the presence of numerous potential cases,” expressed Dr Anil Kumar, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), in his communication to the states.

In accordance with “The Transplantation of Human Organs Tissues Act, 1994,” identifying potential brain stem death situations in the ICU is obligatory.

Additionally, it is compulsory to ascertain if such prospective donors had committed to organ donation and, if not, to inform their relatives about the chance to donate organs prior to cardiac cessation as per the statute, he articulated.

The attending physician, aided by the transplant coordinator, must conduct the aforementioned inquiry post-certification of BSD instances, Kumar elaborated in the dispatch to all states, Union Territories, and heads of regional and state organ and tissue transplant organisations (ROTTOs and SOTTOs) the previous month.

Kumar has requested each medical facility to aid and oversee the certification of BSD instances to guarantee adherence to the Act’s stipulations and regulations.

Accompanying his letter, the official included a ‘required request display board’ template, which is to be installed outside ICUs, emergency areas, or other pivotal hospital locations. He also provided a checklist of data to be systematically gathered from the hospitals each month.

The leader of the medical institution and the corresponding SOTTO are tasked with evaluating the amassed data and implementing necessary corrective measures to maximise organ donations from all viable donors, he stated.

Moreover, all SOTTOs are instructed to compile data as outlined from every affiliated hospital and forward it to NOTTO by the seventh day of each following month, the letter indicated.

“I request your collaboration and backing to enhance the organ donation rate in our nation, aiming for self-reliance in the realm of cadaveric organ donation,” the letter concluded.