The Karnataka health and family welfare department has called upon the pharmacists to display boards encouraging organ transplants at their outlets.

The pharmacy trade outlets are frequented by both patients and their families. Fatality  is also inevitable during the course of a critical illness. Organ donation of deceased could save lives of other patients. Therefore, all pharmacy outlets need to publicise the importance of organ donation, said Dr. Shailini Rajneesh, principal secretary, Karnataka health and family welfare department during her address at The Bangalore District Chemists & Druggists Association (BDC&DA) annual convention held on May 31 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in Bengaluru.

The aim should be that not a single organ for the deceased should be wasted and could come of use to patients who needs it most, she added.

 According to medical experts in Karnataka, organ donation was picking up and the awareness was far higher than a couple of years ago. Several accident case victims' families too opt for organ donation where hospitals like Narayana Health City, BGS Gleneagles Global, Columbia Asia, MS Ramaiah, Apollo, HCG, Fortis and Manipal made it success.

The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has indicated that annually, in India 2 lakh patients need a kidney and  50,000 also need a new heart and liver. The Organisation is spreading awareness about organ donation in  each state and encouraging medical colleges and university students to advocate and take on the responsibility for this cause.

In Karnataka, BGS Gleneagles  performed the 140th liver transplant in Karnataka State in December 2016. There are  several factors that have led to the establishment of a robust liver transplant programme at our facility  beginning with the formation of a team comprising of highly skilled liver transplant surgeons, hepatologists, specialized anesthetists and intensive care experts, said Thomas Mathew, COO, BGS Global Hospital in an earlier statement.

The former Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka for Transplantation (ZCCK) now referred to as Jeevasarthakathe Transplant Authority of Karnataka was formed to spur cadaver transplant in the state.  The committee is manned  by a panel of medical experts. The patients looking for organ donors need to register with the Committee.

Medical experts said that the creation of a  green corridor on road has transformed the organ transplant scene in India. The road route has traffic signals manually operated to avoid peak hour rush to ensure timely delivery of the harvested organs. There are also instances of inter-state organ transportation via air and later by the green corridor route.