The National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has appealed to all State and UT Appropriate Authorities to immediately establish comprehensive training programs for first responders to significantly boost the rate of deceased organ donation, particularly from Road Traffic Accident (RTA) victims.
The directive, issued by the Director of NOTTO, highlights the critical shortage of organs in India and the potential of RTA victims as donors.
The Organ Donation Imperative
India faces a critical organ shortage, with the deceased donor rate remaining alarmingly low (less than one deceased donor per million population). The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways reported that approximately 1.7 lakh people were killed in road accidents in 2023, many of whom were otherwise young and healthy individuals who could have been potential organ donors.
Lost Donors: Many potential donors are lost due to the lack of timely identification and referral by initial responders.
Crucial Role of First Responders: Police personnel, ambulance drivers, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and paramedical staff are recognized as playing a vital role in identifying potential donors and initiating the referral process.
Mandated Action Plan for States/UTs
NOTTO has provided a suggested action plan for implementation, focusing on capacity building and systemic changes:
- Organize Training Programs: States must organize state-level and district-level training programs for all first responders (police, ambulance drivers, EMTs, and paramedical staff) working under both government (108, 102) and private ambulance services. These can be conducted in a cascading mode through training of trainers.
- Curriculum Integration: Training curricula must integrate basic modules on:
- Organ donation awareness.
- Identification of brain stem death cases.
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for trauma referrals.
- Counseling and consent procedures for family members.
- Information Flow Mechanism: States are required to establish mechanisms for the seamless flow of information from first responders to transplant coordinators located in the nearest trauma centers, hospitals, or medical colleges.
- Trauma Centre Upgradation: All trauma centers should be upgraded with the necessary infrastructure and manpower required for organ harvesting and be registered as organ retrieval centers by the State Appropriate Authority.
- Monitoring and Reporting: States must monitor progress and submit reports to the Director, NOTTO, on a quarterly basis through their respective State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs).
The aim is to ensure that while all efforts are made to save the lives of accident victims, organ donation is considered in identified brain stem death cases in accordance with the Transplantation of Human Organs & Tissues Act, 1994.