Mumbai: Failure to identify and authenticate brain death By hospital is reducing the country’s organ donation The rates have increased significantly despite a large number of potential donors being available, the Union health ministry said in a recent directive, asking states to impose strict documentation of brain stem deaths on hospitals. Emphasize. The ministry said IndiaThe rate of deceased organ donation remains extremely low—less than 1 donor per million population per year.

In a recent letter, it has been reminded that as per the provisions of Human Organ Tissue Transplantation Act, Hospitals should identify every possible brain stem death case admitted to the ICU. It added that it is mandatory for hospitals to ask whether such potential donors have pledged to donate organs, and if not, to sensitize family members about the opportunity to donate organs before cardiac arrest. will be. After certification of brain stem death it is necessary to inquire with the on-duty doctor with the help of the transplant coordinator.

It is estimated that around 1.5 lakh potential brain stem deaths occur every year due to accidents in India. Other causes, such as stroke, can increase the number. However, the total number of deceased donors in India in 2023 was only 1,028, facilitating more than 3,000 transplants. This is much less than the annual requirement of approximately 5 lakh organs. With barely 2-3% of the demand met, countless lives are lost due to organ failure. In Mumbai alone, more than 4,000 people are waiting for dead bodies.

“We need all transplant centers and non-transplant organ recovery centers to start declaring brain death. This is an important first step to facilitate organ donation, yet this is not happening in most hospitals,” said Dr Anil Kumar, director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NATO). He said even registered transplant centers were failing to declare brain death.

A state public health department official said most institutions lack a panel to certify brain stem death, hindering identification of such cases. In Mumbai and most other urban districts, most of the brain death certificates are taking place in the private sector.

Issuing the protocol, the Health Ministry, through NATO, has urged hospitals to install ‘urgent request display boards’ at strategic locations to convey the message to the public that in the unfortunate event of brain death or cardiac arrest, Organs and tissues such as kidneys must be donated. , liver, heart, pancreas, eyes, skin and bones etc. – can save lives.

NATO also issued a proforma to collect information from hospitals on a monthly basis. It added that the heads of the institutions and the respective state organ and tissue transplant organizations may conduct analysis and take corrective action.