Bhubaneswar: As many as 42 cadaveric kidney transplants and six cadaveric liver transplants have been conducted in Odisha so far, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling said.
In a written statement in the Assembly on Monday, Mahaling revealed that one heart, two lungs, and six livers were transported from Odisha to other states for transplantation. He emphasised that brain death declarations are being carried out in accordance with the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules, 2014.
However, the Minister did not specify the time period during which these transplants were performed.
The Minister also shared that nine government and private hospitals in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar have been authorized to declare brain stem death in patients.
To honour the sacrifice and courage of organ donors, the Odisha government announced in February 2022 that the last rites of organ donors would be performed with state honors.
Additionally, the state established the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) in 2019 to streamline the organ donation process.
In 2020, the government introduced the Suraj Award to encourage organ donation. Families of organ donors receive a cash award of ₹5 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) and are felicitated annually on World Organ Donation Day (August 13).