CHENNAI: In a significant decision on Tamil Nadu Organ Donation Day, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday said the funeral of the deceased whose organs are harvested for donation will henceforth be held with state honours. In a statement, the CM said the state continues to be a frontrunner in giving a new lease of life to hundreds of patients through organ donation.
“This has been possible only because of the families who come forward to donate the organs of their kin who are declared brain-dead. They volunteer for the gesture at a time when they are grieving the loss of their family members,” the CM pointed out.
A health department official said a government order expected to be issued in the next two or three days will have more details. The Collector or other top officials of the district administration will do the honours, he added.
Officials, however, said the initiative will not be applicable to donors who are alive. For instance, a family member or a friend who donated a kidney to another family member or a friend may not be eligible for the honours, sources said.
The practice of observing September 23 as Organ Donation Day began in Tamil Nadu after the tragic death of 15-year-old AP Hitendran in 2008. His parents, Dr Ashokan and Dr Pushpanjali, decided to donate his organs. This incident sparked a movement-like resurgence in organ donations across the state.
To recognise and promote such donations, CM M Karunanidhi declared September 23 as Organ Donation Day. Tamil Nadu has been the leading state in the country in organ donations for the past 15 years.
During an event at Kalaivanar Arangam on Saturday, floral tributes were paid to organ donors and their relatives were honoured. Grief counsellors, top-performing hospitals, and police personnel who facilitate the swift transport of organs through Green Corridor initiatives were also recognised.
“There were 13 organ transplant units in government hospitals across the state. After the DMK came to power, 27 government medical colleges and hospitals were declared as non-transplant organ retrieval centres to increase donations. Though Tamil Nadu leads in organ donation, there are 6,179 patients waiting to get kidneys, 449 patients for liver, 72 for heart, 60 for lungs, and 24 for heart and lung,” said Health Minister Ma Subramanian.
"We have linked organ donations to insurance schemes. Since 2008, 1,726 people have donated organs in TN benefitting 6,327 patients of TN. In the last 2.5 years, 313 have donated organs benefitting 1,641 people," he said.
Member-secretary of Transplant Authority Government of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) N Gopalakrishnan said, “At RGGGH, we have been doing honour walk while handing over the bodies of donors to families. In the case of brain-dead patients, the tragedy takes place at the prime age of their lives. The gesture will offer some solace to the families during their time of grief.”