Organ transplant law: PGI forms panel after HC prod

CHANDIGARH: The PGI has constituted a nine-member expert committee to deal with the issues of transplantation of human organs out of cadavers in north India. It was also stated that the seniormost faculty member amongst them shall chair the committee. This information was submitted in the Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday.


The nine members include Professor Ashish Sharma, head of department (HOD) of transplant surgery; Prof RK Dhiman, HOD hepatology; Prof Ashutosh Aggarwal, HOD pulmonary medicine; Prof HS Kohli from the department of nephrology; Prof Arananshu Behera of the department of general surgery; Prof Ajay Behl of the department of cardiology; Prof Kajal Jain of the department of anaesthesia; Prof Amit Gupta of the department of ophthalmology; and Prof Vipin Koushal of the department of hospital administration

The Punjab and Haryana high court had held that a committee consisting of experts from the PGIMER, Chandigarh/private hospitals needed to be set up for effective implementation of the law related to transplantation of human organ donation law.

While issuing these directions, the bench was of the view the PIL pertains to a very sacrosanct and an important public issue regarding organ donation and transplants. Lakhanpal who is the recipient of an organ, has claimed that most people die waiting for someone to donate an organ which they require. He has sought directions to set up nodal offices in all hospitals in the country where organ transplant can be done and to maintain the list of cadaver at national level so that transplantation can be done immediately without loss of of organs.

The petitioner told HC that there were few government hospitals in Punjab and Haryana where organ transplants took place. He said the procedure was highly technical and private hospitals did not have enough instrument/machinery to deal with such operations.

“The waiting list in Punjab and Haryana ranges from five years or more. In large number of cases a patient dies for want of availability of organ. In most of the cases, the relatives couldn’t donate organ as the blood group does not match or the tissues are not the same and the Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994, prevents commercial dealings in human organs. Cadaver is not available, and even if there is one, the relatives of such a patient do not allow transplantation for sentiment or emotional reason,” the petitioner stated while seeking formulation of a policy.

Cadaveric donation comprises organ donation i.e taking organs (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas) from brain dead people, as well as tissue donation, meaning taking tissues (skin, corneas, tendons, bone) from brain dead as well as heart dead people.