The Union health ministry on Thursday modified national organ transplantation guidelines to allow even those above 65 years of age to register to receive an organ for transplantation from deceased donors, according to people familiar with the matter. The change, which is an acknowledgement of the increasing longevity of Indians, will also make it possible for several end-stage patients suffering from organ-related diseases to make it to the waitlist.
The upper age limit has been removed as people are now living longer, said a senior functionary from the health ministry who asked not to be named.
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“Earlier, according to the NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization) guidelines, an end-stage organ failure patient above 65 years of age was prohibited from registering to receive the organ. The government of India has taken a decision to remove this upper age limit,” this person added.
The ministry has also decided to remove the domicile requirement to register as an organ recipient in a particular state.
“Some states used to give preference to their own residents and would not allow patients living in other states to register for organ allocation. Now we have asked the states to do away with that requirement,” said the official.
The states, however, will be free to prioritise younger patients on the list.
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The formal document mentioning the changes, which has been viewed by HT, said, “Earlier, organ allocation policy of states required needy patients to have domicile of that particular state to be registered as a recipient on that state’s waitlist. Only state residents were eligible to be put on the organ allocation waitlist.”
“The government of India has taken a decision to remove the domicile requirement, and informed all states about it. Now a needy patient can register to receive an organ in any state of his or her choice, and will also be able to get the surgery done there,” it added.
The Centre has also asked states that used to charge for such registration to not do so. Among the states that sought money for registration were Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Kerala.
“It was brought to our notice that certain states asked for anything between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 to register a patient on the organ recipient waitlist. The government of India has asked those states to stop the practice with immediate effect,” the document said.
The Centre also plans to make changes in the rules of Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011 towards creating a national policy for transplantation.
“Currently, different states have different rules; the Union government is considering changes to the rules so that there is a standard criteria followed in all states across the country,” said the official cited above.
However, health being a state subject, the rules formed by the central government will not be binding on the states. The Centre has begun consultation with the states to bring them on board on this.
“The first consultation meeting between the Union health ministry representatives and state representatives happened on January 9 this year, and it was a fruitful meeting. If required, there will be more consultations in coming weeks on the matter,” said a second senior official from the health ministry, who asked not to be identified.
“To generate awareness among masses, the health ministry, along with the ministry of education, has also prepared a chapter on organ donation that is likely to be introduced in school curriculum in future,” added the official.
