Authorisation Committees reconstituted, to examine link between donor and recipient

Tamil Nadu has reconstituted the Authorisation Committees for granting approvals for living donor organ donation and transplants at the State and district levels. The committee will look into the link between the donor and recipient, checking how they knew each other, and whether the donation is being made out of altruism, and will also speak to near relatives, friends of the donor over phone or directly to rule out any coercion in the donation.

A committee that conducted an inquiry into the illegal kidney donations and transplants involving donors in Pallipalayam, Namakkal had recommended that the Authorisation Committee be reconstituted, bringing in a new one at the State level and four regional ones. The State committee will monitor the district-level committees.

According to a Government Order dated September 8, the State-level Authorisation Committee will be chaired by the Director of Medical Education and Research. Members include a Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) and a woman doctor representative of Indian Medical Association. The district-level committees are as follows – north at Chennai (Madras Medical College), central at Thanjavur (Thanjavur Medical College), west at Coimbatore (Coimbatore Medical College), and south at Madurai (Madurai Medical College).

The authorised hospitals must verify the health condition of the recipient/donor, address and identity of the recipient.

A NGO may be empanelled to counsel donors who apply to the committee on the issues involved in organ transplantation, pre and post operative follow-up. Until then, the committee’s chairperson will mobilise a team to counsel and educate donors on the process. The committee’s members should assess the mental and physical preparedness of the donors.

Human Leukocyte Antigen matching should be done by a laboratory not attached or affiliated to the hospital where the transplantation is to be performed. The Appropriate Authority (Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services) will take steps to empanel standard laboratories approved for this purpose. Till then, Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme-empanelled hospital labs can conduct the tests.

EOM