Maharashtra:Soon, Law to make private hospitals provide lifetime medical assistance to kin of donors

MUMBAI: In a bid to promote organ donation, the Maharashtra government is considering to formulate a law which would make it mandatory for private hospitals to provide lifetime medical assistance to the donor's family.

State Ministers Deepak Sawant and Girish Mahajan were addressing reporters here today after inaugurating the website 'dmer.org/new/organ.htm' which allows people to pledge organ donation online.

"Private hospitals gets ranking based on the organ donations they receive and the number of organ transplants they undertake. Though at the nascent stage, we are considering to formulate a law that would make it compulsory for private hospitals, where a person has donated his organ, to provide lifetime medical assistance to the donor's dependants," said Sawant, who holds the Health portfolio.

According to the senior Shiv Sena Minister, this may boost people's morale for donating their organs.

Meanwhile, Mahajan, who holds Medical Education portfolio, announced the state government's initiative to conduct a 3-day organ donation campaign from August 30, where people, up to the tehsil level, will be taught the benefits of donating their organs.

Mahajan said after the Human Organ Transplant Act, 1994 came into effect, 11,364 kidney transplants, 468 liver transplants, 19 heart transplants, 3 lung transplants and 479 cornea transplants have taken place till date.

He also said presently across the nation, around 5 lakh people suffering from kidney ailments, 50,000 people suffering from liver ailments and 2,000 people suffering from serious heart ailments are waiting for a donor to undergo an organ transplant.

The website has been developed with the help of the Tata Trusts, Mahajan said.