From Deccan Chronicle 12/12/2011
ANANI SAMPATH | DC
CHENNAI, DEC. 11
Tamil Nadu has an impres-
sive record in cadaver organ
transplant. So much so, that
the rest of India looks up to
and wants to emulate it in
this field of humanity.
Most other states want to
achieve
Tamil
Nadu’s
deceased donor rate of 1.3 per
million – the national average
is 0.5 to 0.8 per.
But of late, something has
gone wrong for the leader.
Though TN crossed the 1,000-
donor mark in April, the
number of transplants in the
state has fallen drastically in
the past few months.
The state had recorded 523
transplants last year, includ-
ing 250 major ones such as
heart, liver, lungs and kid-
neys.
This year, however, it had
recorded only 383 transplants
till November 2011. Of these,
195 were major. With yearend
days away, last year’s dona-
tion gala seems to be all but
over.
“The procedure has lost
steam only over the past four
months. In July, we hardlyhad time to sleep as we did as
many as 14 transplants and
our half yearly average was
seven to eight cases a month.
But in November, we did only
four cases and the month
before that just one,” said Dr
Amalorpavanathan,
chief
transplant coordinator at the
government
hospital
in
Chennai.
The reasons for the dip are
many. Superstition and reli-
gious restrictions for one still
hinder grief counsellors
approaching families of
prospective donors.
However, the most common
reason families refuse to
donate organs is the wait to
take bodies home. Sometimes
it takes three days to a week
to complete formalities and
paperwork before organs are
harvested and a body
released for last rites.
Doctors admit awareness
needs to be created among
paramedical staff rather than
the public.
“Early identification of
brain dead cases is needed.
Yes, TN is a pioneer in cadav-
er organ transplant, but a lot
more needs to be done,” said
Dr Amal.