Incentives for surgeons, staff for transplant from cadavers
Director general of health services has given a nod. If we see a rise in number of cadaveric transplants, we may extend the scheme to other government hospitals. Currently, cadaveric transplantation happen in AIIMS, a few kidney transplants in Safdarjung and RML, and some liver and kidney transplants happen in ILBS
NEW DELHI: The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has decided to provide monetary incentive to surgeons, nursing staff and transplant coordinators for every organ transplantation from cadavers.
The project will be started on a pilot basis in three Central government-run hospitals in Delhi — Safdarjung, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Lady Hardinge Medical College.
The surgeons will receive an incentive of ₹3,000, the nursing staff would be paid ₹2,000 and the transplant coordinator ₹1,500 for every organ transplantation surgery.
“The project can be started as soon as we get the financial clearance. The director general of health services has already given a nod for it. If we see a rise in the number of cadaveric transplants, we may extend the scheme to other government hospitals,” said Dr Vimal Bhandari, director, NOTTO.
Most of the tertiary care government hospitals in Delhi do not perform organ transplantation surgeries. “Now, cadaveric transplantation happen in DR VIMAL BHANDARI, director, NOTTO
AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences), a few kidney transplants take place in Safdarjung and RML (Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital), and some liver and kidney transplants happen in ILBS (Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences),” said Dr Bhandari, adding, “Hospitals like Lok Nayak, Guru Teg Bahadur and Hindu Rao are tertiary care and can be equipped to conduct transplantation surgeries. These hospitals also receive thousands of accident victims whose organs can be utilised if they are declared brain dead.”
The project will be started in three centres and then expanded to motivate other government hospitals to either increase their number of surgeries or to encourage them to start performing
cadaveric transplants.
“The problem with cadaveric transplants is that the surgeries are not scheduled. They have to be done as and when an organ is allotted to a centre. This will incentivise the extra work that everyone will have to put in,” said Bhandari.
AIIMS did 50 heart transplants in last 22 years. Till date, only 350 heart transplants have happened in the entire country, while an estimated 50,000 people need a heart transplant each year. In comparison, the United States performs almost 2,000 surgeries every year. Every year an estimated 1.8 lakh kidneys are needed, but only 6,000 transplantations happen; 30,000 livers are needed and only 1,200 to 1,400 transplants happen.