The National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) has issued a departmental order to hospitals across India. The order pertains to the mandatory requirement of having qualified transplant coordinators, as stipulated by the Transplantation of Human Organs & Tissues Act, 1994 (THOTA) and its associated rules.
THOTA mandates hospitals involved in transplants and organ retrieval to have a transplant coordinator with prescribed qualifications and experience.
Transplant coordinators play a crucial role in deceased organ donation and transplantation. This includes:
- Identifying and certifying brain death.
- Supporting families through grief counseling and encouraging organ donation.
- Facilitating consent for organ donation.
- Coordinating between donor and recipient hospitals.
- Managing logistics of organ retrieval and transportation.
- Providing support to the donor’s family.
The National Organ Transplant Program (NOTP) has been supporting government medical colleges and select private hospitals with funding for transplant coordinator positions for five years.
The NOTTO has observed a lack of initiative from states and institutions to create permanent positions for transplant coordinators. Therefore, starting from the next financial year (2025-26), hospitals exceeding the five-year support period under NOTP will no longer receive funding for transplant coordinators.
NOTTO has urged states and hospitals to address this critical issue. They are required to create permanent positions for transplant coordinators based on their workload by the next financial year.
