CHENNAI: The government has constituted a committee to hear suggestions for considering the inclusion of extended family members in the definition of ‘near relatives’ for live organ donor transplant, in a bid to ensure that patients find donors, said Health minister C Vijaya Bhaskar, on Tuesday.
He was speaking to reporters at an event organised to celebrate the successful completion of 1,000 liver transplants in seven years at Gleneagles Global Hospitals here.
“Now the rule allows only spouse, son, daughter, father, mother, brother and sister to donate organs, but, now the government has constituted a committee to hear suggestions for considering the inclusion of ‘extended family in the definition of near relatives”.He said “The government will soon expand organ transplantation programme to tier-II cities and later to tier-III cities. Renal (kidney) transplant will be started in Government Hospital, Ramanathapuram, soon,” the minister said. He also denied charges of people from other States and also countries getting preference in cadaver organ transplantation. “The Government Order clearly indicates that no such preference can be given,” he added.
Speaking at the event, the Health secretary J Radhakrishnan said after an MoU with Gleneagles Global Hospitals a few years back, 24 liver transplants had been successfully performed at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital for the poor.The government is giving up to `35 lakh under the Chief minister’s comprehensive health insurance scheme for patients who undergo organ transplant in private hospitals, he said.
The Gleneagles Global Hospitals celebrated completion of 1,000 liver transplants in seven year by Mohamed Rela, Chairman and Director, Institute of Liver Diseases and Transplant, Gleneagles Global Hospitals and its team.Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu also participated in the programme and felicitated the Health minister for completing 1,000 liver transplants in Tamil Nadu, the first in India. He also felicitated recipients of organs in the function and also released a book on journey of liver transplant.