A Transplant Registry to record data regarding all organ transplantation in the state is being set up the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). Professor of Anaesthesia in NIMS, Manimala Rao, and Professor of nephrology, Gandhi Hospital, Pradeep Deshpande, will serve as coordinators of the Registry, which is primarily aimed at development of the cadaver transplant programme. A decision to this effect was announced by Health Minister Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, at a recent workshop on cadaver transplantation.

The function of this first-ever Registry in the state was to maintain a record of transplants done in the hospitals throughout the state and understand their requirement of donors. Initially, it will focus on kidney transplants as one lakh kidney failure patients are added every year, of whom less than 5,000 undergo dialysis and 200-300 transplant surgery. The rest are destined to suffer and eventually die.

Dr Rao said the need for a registry was felt as there was wastage of organs of persons killed in road accidents. Although there was a law permitting procurement of organs from unclaimed bodies of road mishap victims, there was no network linking the recipient to the donor or about the number of hospitals performing transplant surgeries.

The Minister said the government was considering an amendment to the AP Human Organ Transplantation Act to notify neurophysicians and neurosurgeons who would certify brain death in the case of road accident victims whose organs could be used with the consent of their kith and kin.

Another suggestion that came up at the workshop was the inclusion of a chapter in the curriculum of the Intermediate course, highlighting the importance of organ donation not only to help the needy patients but also to prevent exploitation of donors as happened in recent times in states like Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Dr Deshpande emphasised the need for promoting the concept of donor cards wherein every person who gives consent to donate his organs would carry a card with him. In the event of death, his organs could be used for patients needing kidney, liver, pancreas or even heart transplant. Even in such cases, the consent of parents or the spouse was required after certification of brain death, he said.