For the fourth time in a row, Tamilnadu has been adjudged the best State in organ donation in the country at the ninth annual National Organ Day held in New Delhi Tuesday. The event was organised by National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). This is yet another feather in the cap of TN in healthcare sector. For, Tamilnadu is the first State to have initiated mandatory certification of brain stem death, streamlining organ distribution and setting up green corridors. Hailed as the healthcare capital of the country, the State has achieved many milestones in the sector.
People, even top personalities, from various States and even abroad come here for medical treatment for various ailments thanks to the contribution by both the government and private players in the healthcare segment. As per last year’s statistics, well ahead of all other States in the country, Tamilnadu had harvested 4,992 organs from 895 donors.
In a fist-of-its-kind initiative in India, the State government had formed Transplant Authority of Tamilnadu, an independent agency, to take care of organ transplant needs. Organ transplantation is carried out free of cost in all major government hospitals in Tamilnadu. Also, the State’s health insurance scheme sanctions up to Rs 30 lakh for transplantation in private hospitals, which is the highest among other States. People’s participation and awareness is the key for encouraging organ donation and this is higher in Tamilnadu, compared to other regions in the country, which has enabled the State to notch up these achievements.