Foreigners not to get priority in heart & kidney transplants

The Union Health Ministry has mandated that the foreigners seeking organs will have to first register under the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) and they will get the last priority in case of the organs like heart and kidney available from the deceased donors. It has also asked the state governments to provide monthly reports of the foreigners waiting for the organ donations in view of the complaints that the private hospitals give priority to the foreigners having deep pockets, ignoring the Indians.

The decision to discourage the foreigners get the organs by showing money was taken in a meeting chaired by Director General of Health Services Promila Gupta and attended by the regional organ and tissue transplantation organisations. It decided to crack down on the private hospitals that indulge in the unethical practice of keeping the Indians waiting for kidney, heart and other critical organs while entertaining the foreigners.

The ministry has asked the state governments as well as the hospitals to give "top preference to Indians, followed by NRIs and PIOs while foreigners should get the last priority," says NOTTO head Dr Vimal Bhandari. It also asked the state governments to ensure financial assistance to the poor Indian applicants. NOTTO maintains a digital national registry of organ donors and those seeking the organs.

"Heart and kidney are precious. There is a very wide gap between the number of applicants and organs available.

At a time when our own people are waiting for transplants .... We have to issue mandatory orders since we had reports where hospitals, particularly in metros like Chennai and Mumbai, gave foreign nationals preference for transplants," Dr Bhandari said.

He made it clear that foreigners henceforth shall be considered for organ allocation from deceased Indian donors only when no suitable Indian/NRI/PIO recipent is available throughout the country. Such foreigners have to register with NOTTO with endorsement from the embassy concerned with all details like type of visas, passport number, embassy endorsement, etc.

The ministry has asked the state governments as well as the hospitals to give "top preference to Indians, followed by NRIs and PIOs while foreigners should get the last priority," says NOTTO head Dr Vimal Bhandari.

It also asked the state governments to ensure financial assistance to poor Indian applicants.