'Patients can register themselves for organ transplantation in any State'

New Delhi:  The government has done away with the requirement of state domicile for registration of patients requiring organ transplantation, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Now such patients will be able to go to any state of the country and register themselves for organ transplantation, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. The government is working with the aim of "One Nation, One Policy" for organ donation and transplantation in consultation with the states, she said.

"In this regard, it has been decided to remove the requirement of domicile of the state for registration of patients requiring organ transplantation from deceased donor. "Now such patients will be able to go to any state of the country and register themselves for organ transplantation," she said.

According to the new government guidelines, the upper age limit of 65 years as eligibility for registration to receive deceased donor organ has been removed. Now, a person of any age can register for receiving deceased donor organ, the minister said. The minister said the government has enacted the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act 1994 and notified the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules 2014.

The aforesaid Act and Rules provide for a broad uniform policy for organ donation and transplantation in the country, she said. The Act and Rules are applicable in all Union territories and have been adopted by all states under article 252 (1) except Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Tripura, the minister said.

Responding to another question, she said the government is taking several steps to increase awareness on organ donation in the country. These include dissemination of information by NOTTO, 'Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs)' and 'State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs)'; three tiered structure set up under the National Organ Transplant Program (NOTP); a website www.notto.gov.in; a 24x7 call centre among others.