SSKM to soon get dedicated organ transplantation dept

Kolkata: A special department exclusively dedicated for organ transplantation is expected to come up in the SSKM Hospital within February next year.

The step has been taken by the state health department to make the entire procedure smoother so that surgery can be performed on a patient in lesser time after he or she gets an organ. A new website will be opened by the hospital authorities to enlist the names of patients requiring organ transplantation. Apart from containing the details of the patients requiring surgery, it would also maintain the records of the donors.

The move was taken after the state health department asked the hospital authorities to make the process of transplanting organs faster. It also asked for preparing comprehensive data on the patients who are in urgent need of organ transplantation.

The health department will also be able to monitor the procedure once the hospital prepares the data of patients. The success rate of cadaver transplantation is expected to go up. Due to the delay in the procedure, the patients often die even after the transplantation is performed successfully.

According to the hospital sources, if a patient dies at the hospital his/her family members have to contact the department of organ transplantation. In case a patient dies at any other hospital, his/her family members may donate the organs to SSKM Hospital.

Whenever relatives of patients express their interest in donating a particular organ, the organ transplantation department of the hospital will call up the relatives of patients requiring the organ. For getting an organ, the patient is not required to be admitted to the hospital.

The hospital will have detailed data on the basis of which it would contact the patient. The names of the patients who will receive the organs must be enlisted with the hospital.

It may be mentioned here that the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation has recently given its clearance to the hospital authorities. According to the sources in the health department, other medical colleges in the state will also prepare comprehensive data.

The health department would have a clear picture as to how many patients undergoing treatment at various medical colleges and hospitals in the state would be requiring organ transplantation.

A senior official at SSKM Hospital said two vacancies for the post of transplant coordinator have already been created. To make the entire process faster, a separate department has been formed. The experts from SSKM Hospital will visit other medical colleges in the state to provide assistance.