The authorities of another donor who were transported from the Government Hospital Rajai in Madurai. | Photo Credit: R. Ashok
Although the innovative measures taken by the government of Tamil Nadu have brought positive results, the ever -increasing demand for organs, especially the kidneys and lungs, shows an existing gap in the effort of government.
The state witnessed a significant jump in the gifts of the corpses, as the number increased from 178 in 2023 to 268 in 2024, thanks to the important notification of the government to extend state awards to the deadly remains of authorities.
As far as roads are concerned, collectors would honor the deadly remains of deceased donors and if the collector could not participate in the ceremony, higher income officials such as the District income officer (DRO), another collector, revenue division (RDO), Tahsildar will be awarded.
The practice, which was assumed that the families of the victims of the dead brain were encouraged to sign up for the noble cause of rescue about five lives of the only transplant, brought more results than expected.
At the same time, the former Dean of the Thanjavur Hospital Government Medical College Hospital R. Balajinathan said that the demand for organs could not be satisfied because it would increase only for a few accidents and rapid lifestyle changes.
According to the transplant authority of Tamil Nadu (Transtan), the overall active waiting list is 7 285, liver 522, heart is 82, dual lung is 66, pancreas is 6 and the small intestines are 5.
Innovation and administrative weakness
When the list has only increased in the last few years, hospitals should try to improve the number of gifts by supporting innovation and speeding up administrative processes, he added.
Dr. Balajinathan said they named the tree in the hospital’s premises as a “tree of life” to engrave the list of organ donors in the hospital on the board located nearby.
“Given that the hospitals and the Board of Directors are to stay in the hospital permanently, donors’ families could feel proud of their service to those who need it,” he added.
Although such initiatives have been adopted to improve gifts, administrative weakness in informing the transtan on the need for hospital authorities allowed the authority to be approved by the authority for other hospitals, he noted.
“Although the hospital has a license for lung transplantation, due to the absence of a permanent dean, there will be no effective steps for the transplant procedure,” Dr. Balajinathan.
The procedure for the distribution of donated authorities to various hospitals according to the seniority of the waiting list is based on the local hospital – performing the harvest of organs – the need for these authorities, he said.
Only when the local hospitals did not want any authorities, Transtan would decide to distribute on the basis of the list.
Given that about 13 government hospitals for the Faculty of Medicine had the necessary facilities and doctors for donating and transplantation, the administrative decision of the relevant hospitals would help to improve the gifts of authorities, he said.
Government aid
The doctor at the Government Hospital Rajai in Madurai said that although counseling was given to the family of the person declared as the brain of the dead on the importance of gifts, only a few of them applied to give their consent.
In GRH, the number of donors in 2017 was four and in 2018 it reached two, two in 2019, one in 2020 and 2021, five in 2022, six in 2023, 13 in 2024 and five in 2025.
From their experience, the doctor said that families needed a government incentive or assistance in the form of employment in addition to recognition.
Since the number only increases, it can help in the form of employment or any other form of help to encourage families to get rid of their feelings for a noble thing, the doctor noted.
Families delay their consent to organ donation that have worsened the harvest process, said J. Silas Jeyamani, resident physician, thoothuku Medical College Hospital.
The harvest of organs can only be carried out only when the donor has the necessary pressure, oxygen saturation, perfusion, he added.
“The person can be declared a dead brain, even if they persist in them. Families while seeing their close breathing, hope to save them,” he said.
But if it wasn’t and the person would eventually die the death of the brain and then would not happen in the harvest, because the organs would usually lose their value, Dr. Silas Jeyamani.
He accused the social stigma associated with disruption of the authorities of the dead person and said that many people would not want to go against their religion or faith.
However, many families and government, along with any form of motivation, would motivate many families to save others who need a body.
Published – 8 June 2025 22:27
